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BX  9225  .B337  B3 

Baird,  Henry  Martyn,  1832- 

1906. 
The  life  of  the  Rev.  Robert 

Baird,  D.  D. 


4. 


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THE    LIFE  A 


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OF    THE 


DEC  14  1911 


REV.  ROBERT  BAIRD,  D.  D., 


BY   me   SON 
HENRY    M.    BAIRD, 

PROFESSOR   IN   THE   UNIVERSITY   OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW  YORK. 


NEW   YORK: 
ANSON     D.     F.     RANDOLPH, 

No.    770    BROADWAY. 
1866. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1865,  by 

ANSON  D.  F.   RANDOLPH, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York. 


NEW    YORK  : 

EDWARD    0.    JENKINS,    PRINTER, 

20  NORTH  WILLIAM   ST. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

PAGE 
PARENTAGE   AND    CHILDHOOD  —  SCHOOL   DAYS   AT   UNIONTOWN 9 

CHAPTER    II. 

1816-1819. 

STUDENT    IN    WASHINGTON    AND    JEFFERSON    COLLEGES,    PENNSYLVANIA,    AND 

TEACHER  AT   BELLEFONTE  —  flIS   CONVERSION 19 

CHAPTER    III. 

1819-1823. 

ENTERS    THE    THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY    AT    PRINCETON  —  BECOMES   A  TUTOR    IN 

THE   COLLEGE   OP   NEW   JERSEY 31 

CHAPTER    lY. 

1822-1827. 

BECOMES  PRINCIPAL  OF  THE  ACADEMY  AT  PRINCETON  —  HIS  MARRIAGE  —  HB 
IS  LICENSED  TO  PREACH  THE  GOSPEL  —  HIS  EFFORTS  TO  SECURE  THE 
REPUBLICATION  OF  VALUABLE  RELIGIOUS  WORKS  —  REV.  MR.  BICKEB- 
STETH  —  OTHER   PLANS    FOR   DOING    GOOD 36 

CHAPTER    Y. 

1827-1828. 

LABORS  IN  SUPPLYING  THE  DESTITUTE  IN  NEW  JERSEY  WITH  THE  BIBLE — 
THE  NASSAU  HALL  BIBLE  SOCIETY  —  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  GREAT  DESTITU- 
TION—  RESOLUTION    OF    THE     NASSAU     HALL    BIBLE    SOCIETY  —  MR.    BAIBD 

AND    PROFESSOR   MACLEAN    SUPERINTEND    THE    MOVEMENT  —  ITS    SUCCESS 

THE   EXAMPLE   FOLLOWED    IN   OTHER   STATES   OF    THE   UNION 41 

CHAPTER    YI. 

1828-1829. 

ORDINATION — REFLECTIONS  ON  THE  OCCASION  —  PROJECTED  BIBLE  MISSION  TO 
COLOMBIA  —  ABANDONMENT  OF  THE  PLAN  IN  CONSEQUENCE  OP  THE 
"apocrypha"     DISCUSSION  —  LABORS     IN     CONNECTION    WITH    THE    NEW 

(3) 


4  CONTENTS. 

JERSEY  MISSIOXART  SOCIETY  —  THE  PLAN  TO  RAISE  FORTY  THOCSAND 
DOLLARS  FOR  SCHOOLS  —  HOPES  ANr>  FEARS  —  PROVIDENTIAL  INTERPOSI- 
TIOX — A  FAITHFUL  CONVERSATION  —  WRITES  A  SERIES  OF  ARTICLES 
CRGIXG  THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  A  COMMON  SCHOOL  SYSTEM  IN  NEW 
JERSEY,  AND  PROPOSING  A  METHOD  —  EXTRAORDINARY  SUCCESS  IN 
AWAKENING  PUBLIC  ATTENTION  —  THE  PLAN  ADOPTED  BY  THE  LEGIS- 
LATURE     4,9 

CHAPTER    yil. 

1829-1834. 

ENTERS  THE  SERVICE  OF  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  UNION  —  THE  PLAN  TO  ESTAB- 
LISH   SUNDAY    SCHOOLS    THROUGHOUT    THE    VALLEY    OF    THE    MISSISSIPPI 

SUCCESSFUL  APPEALS  IN  THE  EAST  —  TRAVELS,  ESPECIALLY  IN  THE 
WEST  AND  .SOUTH  —  MR.  BAIUD  REMOVES  WITH  HIS  FAMILY  TO  PHILA- 
DELPHIA —  A  NARROW  ESCAPE  —  OPPOSITION    AT    AUGUSTA   —  ITS    RESULTS 

—  THE  DUEL  BETWEEN  MAJOR  RIDDLE  AND  MR.  PETTIS  —  VISITS  MR. 
PETTIS  ON  HIS  DEATH-BED  —  FRUIT  OF  WORDS  SPOKEN  IN  SEASON  —  HIS 
ATTENTION    IS     DRAWN     TO    FRANCE  —  LITERARY    LABORS    —  HIS    VIEW    OF 

THE    VALLEY   OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI  —  LIFE   OF    MISS   ANNA   JANE    LINNARD.'       68 

CHAPTER     VIII. 
1^35. 

THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FRENCH  ASSOCIATION —  MISSION  TO  PARIS  — ArPREUEN- 
SION  OF  WAR  BETWEEN  FRANCE  AND  THE  UNITED  STATES  —  INSTRUC- 
TIONS —  EMBARKS    FOR    HAVRE 87 

CHAPTER    IX. 

1835-1838. 

CONDITION    OF    PROTESTANTISM    IN    FRANCE    AT    THE     PERIOD    OF    HIS    ARRIVAL 

—  REVIVAL  OF  RELIGION  SINCE  THE  RECOGNITION  OF  THU  REFORMED 
CHURCHES  BY  THE  STATE  —  BIBLE,  HOME  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY 
SOCIETIES  INSTITUTED  —  HIS  .VIEW  OF  THE  MOST  EFFICIENT  METHOD  OF 
OPERATIONS  IN  FRANCE  —  HIS  DIVERSIFIED  LABORS  —  "  SATURDAY  EVEN- 
ING  MEETINGS  "  —  PREACHING 93 

CHAPTER    X. 

1836. 

INTEREST  FELT  IN  THE  TEMPERANCE  REFORM  —  HE  WRITES  THE  "  HISTORl' 
OF  TEMPERANCE  SOCIETIES  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES,"  WHICH  IS  PUB- 
LISHED IN  FRENCH  —  UNDERTAKES  TO  VISIT  NORTHERN  EUROPE  IN 
BEHALF  OF  TEMPERANCE  —  LONDON  —  HIS  "  LETTER  TO  LORD  BROUG- 
HAM   ON    THE    SUBJECT    OF    AMERICAN    SLAVERY  "  —  THE    DUKE    OF    SUSSEX 

—  HAMBURG  —  THE  BARON  VON  VOGHT  AND  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  — 
COPENHAGEN  —  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  KING  OF  DENMARK  —  THE  MUSE- 
UMS  AND   THE   BATTLES   OF   COPENHAGEN  —  A   MONUMENT   OF   INFAMY   ...       105 


115 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XI. 
1836. 

PROM  COPENHAGEN  TO  GOTTEXBURG  —  THE  GOTHA  CANAL  —  STOCKHOLM  — ■ 
KING    CHARLES    XIV.    JOHN    (beRNADOTTE)  —  THE    CROWN    PRINCE   OSCAR 

—  PRESENTATION  OF  MR.  BAIRD  TO  THE  KING  —  HE  IS  RECEIVED  WITH 
REMARKABLE  FAVOR  —  THE  KING  PROPOSES  TO  TRANSLATE  AND  PUB- 
LISH HIS  HISTORY  OF  TEMPERANCE  SOCIETIES  IN  SWEDISH  AT  THE  ^ 
ROYAL  EXPKNSE  —  HE  PRESENTS  A  GOLD  MEDAL  TO  MR.  BAIRD  AS  A 
BENEFACTOR  OP  SWEDEN  —  THE  COMMENCEMENT  AT  THE  UNIVERSITY  OP 
UPSALA   

CHAPTER    XII. 

1836. 

EXERTIONS  IN  BEHALF  OF  TEMPERANCE  IN  GERMANY,  HOLLAND,  AND  BEL- 
GIUM —  INTERESTING  INTERVIEWS  WITH  THE  KING  AND  CROWN  PRINCE 
OP  PRUSSIA,  WITH  PRINCE  JOHN  OF  SAXONY,  AND  KING  LEOPOLD  OF 
BELGIUM  —  VIEWS  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT  AND  LITERARY  MEN  OP  GER- 
MANY      iss 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

1837. 

PROSPECTS  OF  PROTESTANTISM  IN  FRANCE  —  TOUR  IN  ITALY  —  AVIGNON  — 
PALACE  OF  THE  INQUISITION  —  GENOA  —  ROME  —  CEREMONIAL  OF  THE 
HOLY    WEEK  —  ANTIQUITIES  —  NAPLES  —  FLORENCE  —  VENICE  —  MILAN 

—  TURIN  —  EVANGELICAL    LABORS    IN    ITALY  —  THE   WALDENSES  —  COLO- 
NEL  BECKWITH,    BENEFACTOR   OF   THE   WALDENSES 143 

CHAPTER    XIV. 
1837. 

A  SECOND  TOUR  IN  NORTHERN  EUROPE  —  BELGIUM  —  HOLLAND  —  MR.  6R0EN 
VAN  PRINSTERER,  THE  HISTORIAN  —  HE  SEES  THE  CROWN  PRINCE  OF 
PRUSSIA,  WHO  GIVES  HIM  A  LETTER  OF  INTRODUCTION  TO  HIS  SISTER, 
THE  EMPRESS  OF  RUSSIA  —  THE  UNIVERSITY  —  INTERVIEW  WITH  THE 
EMPRESS  —  ST.  PETERSBURG  —  MOSCOW  —  POLAND  —  CHARACTER  OF 
NICHOLAS  I.  —  THE  RUSSIAN  CHURCH  —  SALT  MINE  OF  WIELIECZKA  — 
OLMUTZ  —  VIENNA 

CHAPTER    XY. 

1837-1839. 

WRITES  AND  PUBLISHES  A  TREATISE  "  ON  THE  UNION  OP  CHURCH  AND  STATE 
IN  NEW  ENGLAND  "  —  LETTER  OF  FREDERICK  WILLIAM  OP  PRUSSIA  — 
RETURN  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  —  IS  APPOINTED  CORRESPONDING  SEC- 
RETARY OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  —  THE  ASSOCIATION  BECOMES  THE  FOREIGN 
EVANGELICAL   SOCIETY 


155 


165 


y 


6  CONTEXTS. 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

1839-1841. 

RETUEXS  TO  EUROPE  WITH  HIS  FAMILY,  TO  RESIDE  AT  PARIS  —  INTERVIEW 
■WITH  THE  KING  OF  HOLLAND  AND  THE  DUTCH  MINISTER  FOR  THE  COLO- 
NIES IN  BEHALF  OF  THE  MISSIONS  OF  THE  AMERICAN  BOARD  IN  NETHER- 
LANDS INDIA  —  TOUR  IN  SOUTHERN  FRANCE  —  SERIOUS  AND  PROTRACTED 
ILLNESS  —  INTERVIEW  WITH  LOUIS  PHILIPPE  RESPECTING  THE  SANDWICH 
ISLANDS 171 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

1840. 

THIRD  TOUR  IN  NORTHERN  EUROPE  —  DECREASE  OF  RATIONALISM  —  THOB- 
WALDSEN  —  CHRISTIANIA  —  HE  IS  RECEIVED  WITH  GREAT  HONORS  IN 
SWEDEN  —  BERNADOTTE  AND  PRINCE  OSCAR  —  TRIP  TO  HUDDIKSVALL  — 
REV.    GEORGE   SCOTt's    LETTER     RESPECTING     HIS    USEFULNESS    IN    SWEDEN 

—  FINLAND  —  SUCCESSFUL  EFFORTS  IN  RUSSIA  —  OBSTACLES  —  INTER- 
VIEW WITH  THE  EMPEROR  —  IMPORTANCE  OF  GOING  DIRECTLY  TO  THE 
SOURCE  OF  POWER  —  THE  EMPEROR  THROWS  OPEN  TO  HIM  THE  NA- 
TIONAL   ESTABLISHMENTS  OF  ST.   PETERSBURG  —  TEMPERANCE    IN    GERMANY 

—  INTERVIEWS  WITH  THE  KINGS  OF  DENMARK,  PRUSSIA,  SAXONY,  BA- 
VARIA,   AND   WURTEMBERG 183 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

1841-1843. 

VISIT  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  (1841)  —  PUBLICATION  OF  HIS  "VISIT  TO 
NORTHERN  EUROPE  "  —  REMOVES  WITH  HIS  FAMILY  FROM  PARIS  TO 
GENEVA  —  WRITES  HIS  WORK  ON  "  RELIGION  IN  AMERICA  "  —  AGAIN 
VISITS    THE    UNITED    STATES  —  RETURNS    TO    AMERICA    WITH    HIS    FAMILY..       200 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
1844-1846. 

PUBLISHES  HIS  "  PROTESTANTISM  IN  ITALY  "  —  REVISITS  EUROPE  IN  1846  — 
ATTENDS  THE  SWEDISH  TEMPERANCE  CONVENTION  —  LETTER  OF  RESPECT 
FROM  PROMINENT  SWEDES —  HE  FALLS  SICK  AT  ST.  PETERSBURG  —  VISIT 
TO  PETERHOFF  —  IS  INVITED  BY  THE  EMPEROR  TO  ATTEND  THE  MAR- 
RIAGE OF  THE  GRAND  DUCHESS  OLGA  —  TRAVELS  THROUGH  POLAND  — 
DINES   WITH   THE   KING   OF   PRUSSIA    211 

CHAPTER    XX. 

1846. 

HIS  EARLY  ADVOCACY  OP  CHRISTIAN  UNION  —  AMERICAN  ORIGIN  OF  THE 
EVANGELICAL  ALLIANCE  MOVEMENT  —  HIS  PARTICIPATION  IN  IT  —  FIRST 
CONFERENCE  AT  LONDON  IN  1846  —  THE  ARTICLE  ON  FUTURE  REWARDS 
AND  PUNISHMENTS  —  UNHAPPY  INTRODUCTION  OP  THE  QUESTION  OP 
AMERICAN   SLAVERY 227 


GONTEN-TS.  7 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

1846. 

TRAVELS    IN"    THE    SPANISH    PENINSCLA  —  GIBRALTAR  —  SIR    ROBERT   WILSON 

—  TAX-GIER  —  CADIZ  —  SEVILLE  —  CORDOVA  —  MADRID  —  MARRIAGE  OF 
THE  QCEEX  OF  SPAIN  —  ILLNESS  —  TOUR  TO  MALTA,  ATHENS,  SMYRNA, 
AND  CONSTANTINOPLE  —  THE  ARMENIAN  PATRIARCH  AND  THE  AMERICAN 
MISSIONARIES  —  RETURN    BY  TRIESTE  —  MILAN  —  PASSPORT    REGULATIONS 

—  LOUIS  PHILIPPE  —  MEETINGS  HELD  IN  ENGLAND  AND  SCOTLAND  — 
BEFLECTIONS 236 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

1847-1851. 

HIS  ELECTION  AS  PRESIDENT  OF  JEFFERSON  COLLEGE,  AND  AFTERWARDS  OF 
WASHINGTON  COLLEGE,  PENNSYLVANIA  —  FORMATION  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
AND  FOREIGN  CHRISTIAN  UNION  —  LITERARY  LABORS  —  VISIT  TO  EUROPE 
IN    1851  —  THE    PEACE    CONGRESS  —  TOUR    IN    IRELAND 251 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

1851. 

HIS  SPEECHES  BEFORE  THE  CONFERENCE  OF  THE  EVANGELICAL  ALLIANCE  AT 
LONDON  —  THE  ALLIANCE  IN  AMERICA  —  REASONS  OF  ITS  FAILURE  — 
DISCOURTEOUS  TESTS  —  INTRODUCTION  OF  THE  QUESTION  OF  AMERICAN 
SLAVERY  —  DANGERS  WHICH  THREATEN  BOTH  ENGLAND  AND  AMERICA  — 
INCREASING  DISTRUST  AND  HOSTILITY  —  RELIGIOUS  STATISTICS  OF  THE 
UNITED   STATES 259 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 
1851. 

THE  CON'VENTION  AT  ELBERFELD  —  VISIT  TO  THE  MISSIONARIES  AT  PESTH  — 
RETURN  TO  GENEVA  —  GREAT  PREACHERS  AND  GREAT  MEN  —  INTERVIEW 
WITH  LORD  PALMERSTON  —  ADDRESS  BEFORE  THE  COMMISSION  OF  THE 
FREE   CHURCH  ASSEMBLY  OF   SCOTLAND  —  RETURN   TO   THE    UNITED    STATES      275 

CHAPTER    XXY. 
1851-1855. 

THE  MOVEMENT  IN  BEHALF  OF  THE  MADIAI  —  THB  EFFORT  TO  SECURE  LIB- 
ERTY  OF   WORSHIP   AND   THE    RIGHTS   OF   BURIAL    TO   AMERICANS   ABROAD 

—  RELIGIOUS  LIBERTY  IN  SWEDEN  —  HE  RESIGNS  THE  POSITION  OF  SEC- 
RETARY OF  THE  AMERICAN  AND  FOREIGN  CHRISTIAN  UNION  —  VISIT  TO 
EUROPE  IN  1855  —  THE  ALLIANCE  MEETING  AT  PARIS  —  LECTURES  ON 
EUROPE  —  THB   WALDENSES 281 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XXVI. 

1857. 

EIGHTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE  (1857)  —  RESOLVES  TO  SEE  WHAT  CAN  BE  DOXE 
TO  INDUCE  THE  RUSSIAN  GOVERNMENT  TO  ALLOW  THE  PUBLICATION  OF 
THE  BIBLE  IN  MODERN  RUSS  —  HE  LAYS  HIS  PLAN  BEFORE  THF  AMERI- 
CAN BIBLE  SOCIETY,  BY  WHICH  IT  IS  APPROVED  —  CONFERENCE  WITH 
THE  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  BRITISH  AND  FOREIGN  BIBLE  SOCIETY  —  INTER- 
VIEW WITH  THE  KING  OF  PRUSSIA  —  OBSTACLES  —  IS  ADMITTED  TO  AN 
AUDIENCE     BY    THE     EMPEROR   —  MEMORANDUM     TO    PRINCE    GORTCHAKOFF 

—  THE  PRINCE  OF  OLDENBURG  AND  THE  HOLY  SYNOD  —  ENCOURAGE- 
MENT —  THE  EVANGELICAL  ALLIANCE  AT  BERLIN  —  THE  MEMORIAL  — 
RESULTS  —  THE   NEW   TESTAMENT   IN    MODERN    RUSS 290 

CHAPTER    XXVII. 

1859-1861. 

BECOMES  SECRETARY  OP  THE  SOUTHERN  AID  SOCIETY  —  LITERARY  LABORS  — 
HIS  RETURN  TO  THE  AMERICAN  AND  FOREIGN  CHRISTIAN  UNION  —  NINTH 
AND  LAST  VISIT  TO  EUROPE  (1861)  —  THE  EVANGELICAL  ALLIANCE  AT 
GENEVA  —  RETURN   TO   THE    UNITED   STATES    307 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 
1862-1863. 

PECLINE  OF  HIS  HEALTH  —  HE  CONTINUES  HIS  LABORS  —  SOLICITUDE  FOR 
THE  COUNTRY  —  HIS  LAST  DAYS  —  SICKNESS  AND  DEATH  —  HIS  CALM- 
NESS AND  PEACE  OF  MIND  —  FUNERAL  EXERCISES  —  COMMEMORATIVE 
SERMON  BY  REV.  WILLIAM  B.  SPRAGUE,  D.  D.  —  RESOLUTIONS  OP  RE- 
SPECT PASSED  BY  THE  BRITISH  BRANCH  OF  THE  EVANGELICAL  ALLI- 
ANCE       314 

CHAPTER    XXIX. 

THE  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD  AN  EMINENTLY  SUCCESSFUL  ONE  —  SOME  REA- 
SONS FOR  THIS  SUCCESS  —  HIS  HIGHLY  FAVORED  INTELLECTUAL  AND 
MORAL  CONSTITUTION  —  UNTIRING  INDUSTRY  AND  INDOMITABLE  PERSE- 
VERANCE —  DEEP  AND  ALL-PEHVADING  PIETY  —  LARGE  HEARTED  CATHOL- 
ICISM —  ESTIMATE  OF  GOODNESS  —  IMPRESSION  MADE  ON  ALL  BY  HIS 
SELF-SACRIFICING  SPIRIT  —  LETTERS  OF  INTRODUCTION  —  IN  THE  FAMILY- 
CIRCLE —  HIS    CHEERFUL   SPIRIT  —  DEVOTION   TO    HIS  WIFE  AND  CHILDREN 

—  MRS.    BAIRD 825 

APPENDIX. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  A  LETTER  OF  DR.  BAIRD,  STOCKHOLM,  SEPTEMBER  8,  1840, 
TO  THE  REV.  E.  N.  KIRK,  D.  D.,  HIS  COLLEAGUE  IN  THE  FOREIGN 
EVANGELICAL   SOCIETY 341 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

PARENTAGE  AND   CHILDHOOD.     SCHOOL  DAYS  AT  UNIONTOWN. 

1798—1816. 

ROBERT  BAIRD,  the  subject  of  these  memoirs,  was  born 
on  the  sixth  of  October,  1798.  His  father's  family, 
which  was  of  Scotch  extraction,  after  a  sojourn  of  several 
generations  in  tiie  northern  part  of  Ireland,  near  London- 
derry, had  emigrated  to  the  American  colonies,  and  settled  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania.  Here,  on  the 
26th  of  December,  1756,  Robert  Baird,  Senior,  was  born. 
His  youth  fell  in  the  most  exciting  period  of  American  his- 
tory. His  childish  recollections  were  associated  with  inci- 
dents of  the  French  war,  some  of  the  most  thrilling  acts  in 
the  border  warfare  having  occurred  not  far  from  the  home 
of  his  early  years.  When,  after  a  brief  interval  of  peace, 
the  colonists  of  the  Atlantic  coast  felt  themselves  con- 
strained by  a  due  regard  to  their  rights  to  throw  off 
their  submission  to  the  British  crown,  the  young  Robert 
Baird  shared  the  feelings  of  his  countrymen.  We  find  him, 
^when  barely  twenty  years  of  age,  in  the  ranks  of  the  pa- 
triot army  of  the  Revolution.  He  does  not  seem  to  have 
been  present  in  any  considerable  engagement,  but  his  com- 

(9) 


lo  LIFE  OF  REV.  BR  BAIRD. 

pany  was  among  the  forces  of  Washington  at  the  battle  of 
Long  Island.  From  his  sick  bed  at  Amboy  he  heard  the 
distant  rumbling  of  artillery  which  gave  intimation  far  and 
wide  of  the  commencement  of  that  conflict  whose  unsuccess- 
ful termination  was  the  prelude  of  the  disheartening  retreat 
through  Xew  Jersey. 

Before  the  conclusion  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  Mr. 
Baird  was  united  in  marriage,  on  the  20th  of  February, 
1781,  to  Elizabeth  Reeves,  a  young  lady  of  little  more  than 
eighteen  years,  whose  parents,  of  English  and  Welsh  de- 
scent, were  natives  of  Long  Island.  Taking  with  him  his 
wife,  whose  strong  native  sense,  unbending  perseverance, 
and  ardent  affection  had  much  influence  in  the  formation  of 
the  character  of  her  children,  Mr.  Baird,  soon  after  quiet 
had  been  restored  to  the  borders,  removed  to  a  region  which 
was  then  upon  the  very  outskirts  of  civilization.  He  fixed 
upon  what  is  now  the  county  of  Fayette,  which,  from  the 
fertility  of  the  soil  and  its  proximity  to  the  navigable  waters 
of  the  Monongahela  and  Ohio,  as  well  as  to  the  important 
town  of  Pittsburg,  then  rising  on  the  site  of  the  famous 
forts  Duquesne  and  Pitt,  offered  unusual  attractions  to  the 
settler.  The  boundary  line  between  the  States  of  Virginia 
and  Pennsylvania  had  not  been  accurately  defined,  and  the 
tract  of  several  hundred  acres  which  he  purchased,  be- 
tween the  present  towns  of  Union  and  Brownsville,  and 
near  the  hamlet  now  called  New  Salem,  was  for  some  years 
afterwards  supposed  to  lie  within  the  limits  of  Virginia. 
A  survey  proved  that  it  was  situated  in  Pennsylvania. 

The  young  couple  saw  a  numerous  family  born  to 
them  on  the  farm  which  was  cleared  in  the  hitlierto 
almost  unbroken  forest.  Of  their  tliirteen  children,  eight 
lived  and  survived  them — four  sons  and  four  daughters. 
Robert  was  the  youngest  son.  His  sisters,  with  but  a 
single  exception,  were  older  than  liimself. 

The  scenes  in  which  childhood  is  spent  are  said  to  be  po- 


PARENTAGE  AND  CHILDHOOD.  1 1 

tent  in  forming  the  tastes,  moulding  tlie  habits,  and  direct- 
ing the  entire  conrse  of  subsequent  life.  If  this  be  true, 
we  may  ascribe  much  of  that  clear  and  sober  judgment,  that 
untiring  industry  and  that  resolute  perseverance,  which 
were  characteristic  of  him  whose  life  we  have  undertaken 
to  narrate,  to  the  wholesome  influence  of  the  farm,  where, 
in  the  midst  of  primaeval  forests,  he  was  occupied,  in  com- 
pany  with  his  father  and  brothers,  in  the  labors  of  the  field, 
far  from  the  dissipations  of  the  city  and  the  feverish  ex- 
citement of  political  life. 

His  father  was  a  man  of  staunch  integrity  and  of  exem- 
plary deportment ;  and,  as  such,  he  had  won  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  all  his  neighbors.  Unostentatious,  but  with 
very  decided  views,  which  he  never  avoided  expressing  on 
all  suitable  occasions,  he  was  a  man  who  left  his  imprint 
upon  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  His  habits  of  In- 
dus trv  and  thrift,  formed  in  vouth.  he  strove  to  inculcate  in 
connection  with  the  higher  obligations  of  religion.  Often 
did  his  children,  in  later  years,  advert  with  pleasure  to  the 
instruction  given  to  them  in  the  Westminster  catechism  un- 
der the  parental  roof.  On  Sabbatli  evenings,  when  the 
entire  family  was  gathered  around  the  blazing  hearth, 
the  father  was  accustomed  to  hear  his  children  recite  that 
admirable  summary  of  the  great  truths  of  the  Gospel.  His 
memory  was  extraordinarily  tenacious,  and  he  had  himself 
been  so  thoroughly  drilled  in  his  childhood,  that  he  expe- 
rienced no  difficulty  in  conducting  the  exercise,  and  never 
required  a  book  in  order  to  recall  either  the  form  or  the 
order  of  the  questions.  He  always  began  at  the  very  com- 
mencement of  the  catechism,  and  went  regularly  through  it 
to  the  last  answer  with  those  of  the  older  children  who  had 
advanced  so  far.  His  son  Robert  often  blessed  God  for  the 
familiarity  which  he  thus  acquired  with  the  matchless  com- 
pendium of  Biblical  theology  of  the  Westminster  divines  ; 
and  expressed  regret  that  Christian  parents  generally  are 


12  LIFE  OF  JREV.  DR.  BAIIW. 

not  nioru  laithful  in  laying  in  the  minds  of  their  offspring, 
at  an  early  age,  the  foundations  of  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  the  all-important  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion. 
The  first  school  which  young  Robert  Baird  attended  was 
that  which  was  held  in  the  neighborhood  during  the  winter 
months.  Here  he  learned  to  read  and  write,  and  if  his 
teachers  were  incompetent  to  lead  him  very  far  on  the  road 
to  knowledge,  they  at  least  helped  to  encourage  him  to  de- 
sire further  attainments.  He  manifested  at  this  early  age 
a  very  decided  taste  for  reading ;  and  it  was  noticed  by 
many  of  his  friends  that  instead  of  joining  tlie  boys  of  his 
own  age  in  their  boisterous  amusements,  he  was  more  fre- 
quently engrossed  in  perusing  some  volume  of  his  father's 
scanty  library.  History  and  her  handmaid  Geography  were 
his  special  delight.  A  copy  of  the  valuable  manual  of  ge- 
ography published  by  the  Rev.  Jedidiah  Morse,  D.D.,  in 
1791,  in  two  octavo  volumes,  fell  into  his  hands,  and  many 
an  hour  was  devoted  to  the  study  of  its  pages.  Thus  was 
n  foundation  laid  for  that  minute  and  accurate  acquaintance 
which  he  afterwards  acquired  with  the  physical  structure, 
and  the  intellectual,  moral  and  religious  condition  of  every 
portion  of  our  globe.  At  the  same  time  the  perusal  of 
those  pages  developed  witliin  him  an  intense  longing  to  ren- 
der himself  familiar  with  the  progress  of  civilization  in 
foreign  lands  by  travel  and  personal  observation.  It  was 
also,  while  mastering  the  contents  of  such  historical  works 
as  he  had  access  to,  and  reading  the  journals  of  the  day 
containing  intelligence  respecting  the  wars  of  Napoleon 
Bonaparte,  that  his  liveliest  interest  was  enlisted  in  Berna- 
dotte,  the  French  soldier  of  fortune.  At  that  time  nothing 
could  have  been  more  remote  from  liis  expectations,  than 
that  he  would  at  a  future  day  be  led,  in  the  discliargc  of  a 
[)hilanthropic  mission,  to  become  personally  acquainted  with 
the  distinguished  Gascon,  then  king  of  Sweden  under  the 
title  of  Charles  the  Fourteenth. 


PAREXTAOE  AXD  CHILDHOOD.  13 

The  aptness  of  young  Robert  Baird  for  studious  j  ursiiiis 
led  liis  parents  and  friends  at  a  very  early  period  to  express 
the  belief,  which  indeed  was  little  more  than  a  hope,  that 
the  way  would  open  for  him  to  acquire  a  collegiate  educa- 
tion ;  but  as  years  passed  away  there  seemed  to  be  little 
likelihood  that  the  prophecy  would  receive  its  fulfillment. 
And  yet  the  heart  of  his  father  was  firmly  fixed  upon  this 
object ;  and  he  was  heard  more  than  once,  in  later  years, 
to  say,  that  if  ever  he  had  prayed  with  sincerity  and  earnest 
desire,  it  was  that  his  son  Robert  raia'ht  become  a  useful 
minister  of  the  Gospel.  "  Until  the  fall  of  1813,"  wrote  Mr. 
Baird  at  a  subsequent  date,  "  I  lived  witli  my  father,  work- 
ing with  his  family  on  his  farm,  having  no  expectation  of 
receiving  a  liberal  education.  It  is  true,  I  can  remember 
I  was  often  told  when  quite  a  boy,  that  I  should  one  day  be 
a  minister.  But  this  I  know  was  only  the  wish  of  parents, 
who  soon  relinquished  the  idea  of  giving  me  more  than  an 
ordinary  education  ;  and  I  lieard  no  more  of  my  going  to 
school  to  learn  Latin,  until  the  autumn  above-mentioned. 
Their  purpose  Avas  then  revived  by  the  fact,  insignificant 
certainly  in  itself,  of  my  committing  to  memory,  and  fre- 
quently speaking,  a  mock  sermon  written  in  broken  German. 
The  minister  of  the  congregation  in  which  my  father  lived, 
hearing  of  my  aptness  to  commit  such  things  to  memory, 
persuaded  my  father  to  send  me  to  Uniontown,  to  a  gram- 
mar school  there  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Dunlap.'' 

There  were  serious  obstacles,  however,  to  be  surmounted 
by  his  parents,  not  the  least  of  which  was  the  lack  of  suffi- 
cient funds  to  support  tlieir  son  during  his  necessary  course 
of  study  at  school  and  college  ;  for  there  was  a  large  family 
to  be  provided  for  at  home.  It  was  here  tliat  maternal 
solicitude  was  fruitful  in  expedients.  The  mother,  anxious 
that  the  project  should  not  be  a  second  time  abandoned, 
proposed  herself  to  spin  the  material  for  his  clothes,  and  to 
defray  the  additional  expenses  that  must  be  incurred,  by  the 


H 


LIFE  OF  BEV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


proceeds  of  her  dairy.  And  tins  proposal  was  carried  into 
effect ;  so  that  it  was  in  great  measure  tlie  industry  and 
economy  of  his  mother,  that  provided  the  young  student 
with  the  means  of  support  while  at  school  and  at  college. 

The  scenes  in  which  he  was  placed  at  the  academy  (now 
Madison  College),  at  Uniontown,  were  new  and  trying. 
His  fellow  scholars  were  rough  and  uncivil,  and  they  did  not 
Fpare  their  ridicule  of  the  boy  fresh  from  the  country,  who 
had  come  into  their  midst.  To  this  source  of  discourage- 
ment it  must  be  added  that  he  was  behind  his  companions 
in  his  studies,  and  that  his  heart  was  nearly  broken  by  be- 
ing separated  for  the  first  time  from  home  and  friends.  It 
was  on  a  Monday  morning  that  he  rode  with  his  father  to 
the  school  at  Uniontown  ;  on  the  next  Saturday  he  was 
again  at  his  father's  gate,  having  walked  the  entire  distance 
homeward.  Altogether  disheartened  by  the  unexpected 
difficulties  he  had  experienced,  he  was  ready  to  renounce 
his  cherished  hopes  and  content  himself  in  future  with  a 
farmer's  life.  His  father  and  his  brother  and  sisters  en- 
deavored to  reassure  him  ;  while  his  mother  persuaded 
him,  as  none  but  a  mother  can,  that  the  obstacles  which 
were  now  so  formidable  would  soon  vanish,  and  that  a  litr 
tie  resolution  would  render  his  course  of  study  easy  and 
attractive.  These  gentle  assurances  and  the  influence  of  a 
quiet  Sabbath  spent  in  the  familiar  home  circle,  imparted 
fresh  strength,  and  he  was  induced  on  the  following  morn- 
ing to  return  to  school,  and  make  another  attempt. 

But  the  same  trials  returned.  His  companions  renewed 
tlieir  raillery  with  greater  zest,  as  they  perceived  that  their 
power  to  annoy  the  timid  boy  continued.  And  again  and 
again  the  shelter  of  home  was  sought,  until  even  a  parent's 
heart  was  almost  cast  down.  To  use  his  own  words  in 
the  "  Eeview  "  already  cited  :  "  Frequently  did  I  return 
home,  but  was  as  often  persuaded  by  my  motlier  and  bro- 
thers and  sisters  not  to  relinquish  the  undertaking.     At 


PARENTAGE  AND  CHILDHOOD. 


5 


length,  after  having  wearied  the  patience  of  my  father,  and 
being  sensible  that  he  was  grieved  with  my  foolish  caprice, 
I  determined  never  to  ask  him  to  permit  me  to  return  home 
to  remain  more  than  a  vacation."  And  this  resolution  he 
maintained  with  such  constancy  as  to  evince  that  beneath 
the  timidity  which  was  so  formidable  a  barrier  to  his  pro- 
gress at  this  stage  of  his  course,  there  was  an  underlying 
steadfastness  of  purpose  which  when  called  into  play  could 
be  relied  on  with  implicit  confidence. 

The  very  annoyances  w^hich  thoughtless  boys  inflicted 
upon  him,  were  intended  by  Providence  as  a  means  of  fur- 
thering his  improvement.  "  During  the  first  part  of  the 
time  which  I  spent  in  Uniontown,"  he  relates,  "  I  was  com- 
pelled to  stay  much  at  home,  on  account  of  my  fear  of  those 
who  were  my  equals  in  age.  Having  come  from  the  coun- 
try, I  was  greatly  subject  to  their  derision.  And  I  have 
reason  to  thank  God  that  it  was  so.  For  by  this  means  I 
was  saved  from  many  temptations."  Sensible  of  the  disad- 
vantages under  which  he  labored  in  consequence  of  not 
having  enjoyed  the  same  opportunities  for  preparation  as 
his  schoolmates,  he  applied  himself  with  untiring  industry 
to  his  lessons,  while  they  were  engaged  in  recreation,  and 
it  was  not  long  before  the  results  of  his  application  became 
apparent.  Soon  the  very  boys  who  had  ridiculed  him  gave 
him  a  large  place  in  their  esteem  and  confidence,  and  were 
glad  to  come  to  him  for  assistance  in  their  studies. 

Nor  ought  we  to  fail  in  this  place  to  do  justice  to  his  re- 
spected instructor.  In  a  notice  of  the  life  and  character  of 
Rev.  James  Dunlap,  D.p.,  which  Dr.  Baird  furnished  in 
1850,  for  Dr.  Sprague's  Annals  of  the  American  Pulpit,  he 
pays  this  tribute  to  his  excellence  :  "  Nothwithstanding  Dr. 
Dunlap  was  highly  respected  as  a  faithful  and  even  eloquent 
preacher,  it  was  as  a  scholar  and  a  teacher  of  youth  that  he 
was  perhaps  chiefly  distinguished.  His  knowledge  of  the 
classics  was  exceedingly  minute  and  accurate  ;  and  even  in 


i6  LIFE  OF  BET.  BR  BATED. 

Lis  old  age,  it  was  his  delight  to  devote  a  part  of  each  day, 
unless  otlicr  more  important  engagements  claimed  his  at- 
tention, to  his  favorite  Latin  and  Greek  authoi's.  The 
copies  of  Homer,  Horace,  Virgil,  Cicero,  and,  above  all, 
the  Greek  Testament,  which  he  was  accustomed  to  use,  were 
witnesses  to  his  great  love  of  classical  literature, — being 
almost  literally  worn  out  in  his  service.'^ 

But  tlie  altered  feeling  of  his  schoolmates  towards  him, 
caused  not  mere  by  his  industry,  than  by  those  gentle  and 
courteous  manners  which  in  later  days  contributed  so  much 
to  his  success,  by  giving  him  ready  admission  to  the  hearts- 
of  all,  rich  and  poor,  high-born  and  lowly  alike,  was  fraught, 
as  he  himself  informs  us,  with  great  peril.  He  became  fond 
of  the  company  of  trifling  boys,  and  he  records  witli  bitter 
self-reproach  the  light  conversation  and  flippant  reading  to 
which  they  enticed  him.  But  the  principles  inculcated  by 
faithful  parents  did  not  permit  him  to  go  far  astray,  for 
God  had  glorious  purposes  concerning  him,  and  restrained 
him  from  those  vices  into  which  some  of  his  young  compan- 
ions plunged.  In  the  midst  of  the  retrospective  view,  doubt- 
less intended  to  be  seen  by  no  eye  but  his  own,  and  in  which 
he  is  a  severe  censor  of  failimrs  which  to  others  must  have 
appeared  trifling,  if  perceived  at  all,  he  states  that  he  was 
never  addicted  to  profanity  or  drunkenness.  Intemperance 
was  one  of  the  crying  sins  of  the  entire  region  in  wliich  he 
was  born.  The  free  use  of  intoxicating  drinks  was  univer- 
sal, ^lany  of  the  farmers  had  small  distilleries  of  their 
own,  and  it  was  thought  indispensable  to  furnisli  wliisky 
to  their  assistants,  whenever  any  important  or  laborious 
undertaking  was  commenced.  Robert  Baird  had  been  an 
eye-witness  of  the  incalculable  evils  flowing  from  this 
abuse,  and  when  verv  vouns; — lono:  before  he  had  ever 
heard  of  a  Temperance  Society — he  made  a  solemn  resolu- 
tion to  abstain  from  all  inebriating  liquors.  It  was  thus 
that  by  observing  the  quarrels  and  other  mischief  produced 


PAREyTA  GE  A XD  CHILDHO  OD.  ,  7 

by  the  liberal  distribution  of  whisky  among  the  farmers  at 
harvest  time,  he  was  prepared  at  a  later  period  to  enter 
with  so  much  philanthropic  zeal  into  the  advocacy  of  the 
great  Temperance  Reformation,  abroad  as  well  as  at  home. 

Thus  did  the  three  years  of  study  at  school  pass  rapidly 
away  ;  and  towards  the  close  of  July,  1816,  Robert  Baird 
left  Uniontown,  to  join  the  Sophomore  class  of  Washington 
College,  Pennsylvania,  during  the  ensuing  month. 

Up  to  this  important  point  in  his  history,  he  had  made 
no  public  profession  of  religion,  nor,  indeed,  had  he,  al- 
though brought  up  in  an  exemplary  family  and  instructed 
in  the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  become  a  child  of  God  by  re- 
generation. Of  the  impression  which  the  preaching  of  his 
faithful  minister  and  the  other  means  of  grace  made  upon 
him,  while  yet  a  child  at  home,  he  writes  :  "  I  recall  to  mind 
the  convictions  of  sin  which  I  frequently  had,  and  the  fear 
of  deatli  with  which  I  was  som.etimes  troubled.  But  these 
feelings  were  very  transitory ;  they  had  but  little  effect 
upon  my  life."  While  at  school  his  mind  does  not  seem  to 
have  been  deeply  affected  by  the  consideration  of  the  vast 
importance  of  attending  to  the  concerns  of  eternity,  and  at 
most  there  was  a  very  formal  observance  of  the  duties 
which  had  been  inculcated  upon  him  in  childhood.  "  During 
my  stay  at  that  place  (Uniontown)  my  indifference  about 
religion  was  very  great.  I  do  not  think  that  I  more  than 
once  attempted  to  pray  with  any  degree  of  earnestness.  It 
is  true,  I  still  adhered  to  the  use  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  ex- 
cepting when  I  forgot  it,  which  was  very  frequently  the 
case  ;  but  I  did  not  attempt  to  use  my  own  language  in 
prayer." 

But  in  the  midst  of  his  thoughtlessness  and  his  disregard 
of  the  claims  of  God  and  eternity,  the  Saviour  had  merciful 
designs  respecting  the  young  student.  He  was  not  to  be 
permitted  to  consecrate  his  natural  endowments,  and  the 
discipline  of  mind  gained  by  education  to  the  service  of  the 
2 


ig  LIFE  OF  EEV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

world  ;  for  a  superior  power  had  already  set  him  apart  for 
an  important  work  in  the  service  of  Him  whose  authority 
over  his  heart  and  life  he  had  not  yet  been  brought  to 
acknowledo-e. 


CHAPTER  II. 

STUDENT   IX   WASHINGTOX   AND   JEFFERSON    COLLEGES,   PEXX- 
SYLVANIA,  AND   TEACHEE   AT   BELLEFONTE. 

1816-1819. 

THE  year  which  Mr.  Baird  spent  at  Washington  College 
was  the  turning  point  of  his  entire  life.  Coming  from 
the  school  where  he  had  so  lono:  been  the  most  advanced 
scholar,  into  the  midst  of  yomig  men  gathered  from  various 
parts  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  neighboring 
States  of  Yiro-inia  and  Ohio,  he  was  soon  led  to  detect  im- 
perfections  in  his  previous  course,  of  which  he  had  hitherto 
been  unconscious,  and  he  resolved  to  remedy  these  defects 
in  the  most  thorough  manner.  Besides  the  regular  studies 
of  his  class  he  imdertook  to  review  the  entire  curriculum 
pursued  in  school,  and  this  task  he  succeeded  in  accomplish- 
ing within  the  limits  of  the  year.  By  this  time  he  found  that 
he  could  compete  with  those  members  of  his  class  who  had 
enjoyed  the  best  opportunities  for  preparation. 

The  town  of  Washington  in  which  the  college  is  situated, 
from  the  circumstance  that  it  was  the  county  seat,  contained 
a  number  of  intelligent  and  pleasant  families,  iu  whose 
society  Mr.  Baird  found  not  only  recreation,  but  improve- 
ment. Hitherto  he  had  gone  but  little  into  company,  and 
he  experienced  some  of  the  disadvantages  of  his  scholastic 
seclusion  in  the  encouragement  it  gave  to  his  native  timid- 
ity. Accordingly,  a  lady  whose  home  he  frequently  visited 
during  liis  residence  at  Washington,  and  with  whose  hus- 

(19) 


w^ 


2c  LIFE  OF  REV.  BR.  BAIRD. 

band  he  entertained  an  intimate  friendship  that  lasted  until 
his  death  a  few  years  since,  describes  him  as,  at  that  time, 
one  of  the  most  diffident  persons  she  ever  knew.  The  kind 
reception  which  these  and  other  friends  gave  him  was  ever 
a  subject  to  which  he  loved  to  recur.  Equally  important 
was  the  influence  exerted  upon  him  by  many  of  the  young 
men  in  the  college,  to  whom  he  felt  himself  powerfully 
di'awn.  In  place  of  the  light  and  trifling  companions  of  his 
school-days,  whose  sole  aim  was  to  withdraw  his  mind,  as 
well  as  their  own,  from  all  serious  thoughts,  he  found  more 
congenial  intercoui^se  with  a  circle  of  men  who,  appreciating 
the  value  of  a  Christian  education,  had  no  other  object  in 
view  than  to  qualify  themselves  for  the  performance  of  the 
work  which  God  might  assign  them.  To  these  he  alludes 
in  the  following  passage  in  the  review  of  the  first  twenty- 
five  years  of  his  life,  from  which  we  have  already  made 
several  citations  :  ''  This  was  a  very  important  period  of  my 
life.  I  then  began  to  study  in  earnest.  Being  exceedingly 
ambitious,  I  devoted  much  of  my  time  to  my  studies.  I 
there  came  in  contact  with  many  very  valuable  young  men, 
several  of  whom,  I  hope,  are  now  in  glory.  Their  conver- 
sation and  example  made  me  ashamed  of  my  former  course 
of  living,  and  effected  a  great  change  in  my  moral  prin- 
ciples." 

An  incident  which  seems  to  have  been  by  no  means  insig- 
nificant in  its  bearing  upon  the  formation  of  his  character, 
was  his  taking  for  the  first  time  a  class  in  the  Sunday 
School.  His  distrust  of  his  own  qualifications  to  impart 
religious  knowledge  inclined  him  to  seek  the  lowest  place, 
and  he  accepted  as  his  pupils  a  number  of  young  negro 
^I'hildren  whom  he  taught  to  read  the  holy  Scriptures.  The 
effort  to  present  the  great  truths  of  the  Bible  in  their  most 
simple  form,  that  they  miglit  be  grasped  by  his  uncultivated 
hearers,  was  blessed  to  his  own  soul.  He  obtained  clearer 
views  of  the  plan  of  salvation  than  he  had  ever  enjoyed 


STUDENT  LIFE.  21 

before  ;  altlioiigh  he  was  not  at  once  brought  to  rejoice  in 
'  the  assurance  that  his  own  peace  was  made  with  God, 
"  My  conscience,  too,  was  often  most  pungontlv  addressed," 
he  tells  us,  "  b}"  the  preaching  of  Rev.  Dr.  Brown,  who  was 
for  some  time  the  President  of  the  Institution,  and  pastor  of 
the  church  in  that  place.  During  the  latter  part  of  the 
time  which  I  spent  there,  my  mind  was  very  serious,  partly 
on  account  of  the  solemn  appeals  which  were  made  to  me 
from  the  pulpit,  and  the  books  which  I  read,  and  partly  on 
account  of  the  deaths  of  several  of  the  vounsr  men  with 
whom  I  was  acquainted." 

Some  college  essays  written  during  this  year,  possess 
considerable  interest,  as  they  are  the  earliest  papers  from 
his  pen  that  have  been  preserved.  With  an  occasional 
want  of  polish  and  of  grace  of  diction,  they  are  character- 
ized by  sound  common  sense,  and  there  is  a  healthy  moral 
and  religious  tone  which  pervades  them  all.  Their  subjects 
are,  "  The  Practice  of  Duelling"  (endorsed  December,  1816), 
"  The  Bible,"  "  Industry,"  and  kindred  topics.  In  the  last- 
mentioned  essay  the  necessity  of  constant  application  is 
enforced  by  a  comparison  of  the  human  mind  to  the  Indian's 
bow,  ever  tending  to  resume  its  original  position.  The 
essay  on  "  Education"  is  interesting  when  viewed  in  con- 
nection with  its  author's  labors  ten  years  later,  to  promote 
the  establishment  of  a  complete  system  of  common  schools 
in  a  neighboring  State.  That  on  "The  Slavery  of  the 
Blacks"  contains  an  eloquent  denunciation  of  the  iniquitous 
system,  as  ignoring  the  first  principles  of  the  social  com- 
pact. "  Such,"  he  writes,  "is  the  condition  of  the  Africans 
in  our  country  :  a  people  deprived  of  their  rights,  standing 
as  living  monuments  of  the  ingratitude  of  freemen  ;  a  people 
held  in  subjection  the  most  barbarous,  in  slavery  the  most 
abominable,  without  the  least  show  of  justice.  For  what 
cause  are  the  blacks  held  in  slavery?  For  what  crime  are 
they  thus  punished? The  Africans  are  +he  most 


2  2  LIFE  OF  FiEV.  I)R  BAIRT). 

unhappy  people  in  the  world.  Will  any  one  dare  to  say 
that  tliey  are  la^Yfully  held  in  slavery,  or  that  they  have 
become  lawful  subjects  of  the  United  States  ?  Let  him 
examine  the  necessary  agreements  which  are  implied  in  the 
social  contract.  He  will  find  that  the  blacks  of  this  coun- 
try have  never  entered  into  one  of  these  agreements.  Never 
was  the  interrogatory  put  to  them,  '  Will  you  consent  to 
live  in,  and  be  a  member  of  our  society  ? '  Their  consent 
was  never  asked.  They  were  taken  by  force.  Have  they 
ever  given  their  consent  to  any  particular  form  of  govern- 
ment? No.  Have  they  entered  into  a  mutual  agreement, 
on  their  part  as  subjects,  on  ours  as  rulers  ?  No.  They 
were  dragged  from  their  own  country,  brought  to  ours,  and 
cruelly  sold  as  slaves.  This  is  the  agreement  into  which 
they  have  entered  ;  a  poor  one,  indeed, — equalled  only  by 

tlie  protection  which  they  have  received I  think  it 

must  appear  evident  to  every  person  that  something  should 
be  done  for  this  unhappy  people.  If  there  is  nothing  done, 
something  of  no  trivial  consequence  will  happen.  The  cries 
and  prayers  of  the  African  slave  will  not  ascend  unheeded 
to  Heaven."  After  declaring  in  no  measured  terras  the 
guilt  of  Europe,  for  having  inflicted  upon  this  western  con- 
tinent the  curse  of  slavery,  the  writer  adds  a  prophecy  of 
which  we  have  seen  too  faithful  a  fulfillment :  "And  thou, 
too,  America !  young  in  years,  but  far  advanced  in  the  per- 
petration of  crimes,  know  this  truth,  that  at  no  very  distant 
day  thou  shalt  experience  the  avenging  wrath  of  a  just 
God  ;  thou  who  hast  been  blessed  with  Religion,  Science 
and  Liberty,  but  who  illiberally  deniest  these  blessings  to' 
the  poor  African,  remember  that  thou  art  not  only  oppress- 
ing this  wretched  nation,  but  thou  art  also  destroying  thine 
own  happiness." 

Mr.  Baird's  stay  at  Washington  College  extended 
over  the  Junior  year  of  his  course.  "  Being  dissatisfied 
with  some  occurrences  which  took  place  in  that  college," 


STUDENT  LIFE.  23 

he  writes,  "I  left  it  and  went  to  Jefferson  College  and  w^- 
entered  the  Senior  class,  Xovember  1,  1817."  The  Board 
of  Trustees  of  Washington  College  had  passed  a  resolution 
"  separating  the  duties  of  Principal  of  the  college  from 
those  of  Pastor  of  the  congregation,"  with  a  view  of  remov- 
ing the  Rev.  Matthew  Brown,  D.  D.,  from  the  presidency, 
and  had  then  elected  the  Rev.  Andrew  Wylie — under  whose 
auspices  it  was  hoped  that  the  two  neighboring  institutions 
might  be  merged  into  one — to  the  vacant  position.  A  great 
part  of  the  students  espoused  the  side  of  Dr.  Brown,  whom 
they  believed  to  have  been  unjustly  treated  ;  and,  not  long 
after,  about  fifty,  if  we  are  rightly  informed,  joined  Jefferson  ^ 
College  at  Canonsburg,  a  village  only  six  miles  distant  from 
Washington.  It  was  whilst  Robert  Baird  was  still  at 
Washington  College,  that  "  James  Monroe,  who  was  then 
President  of  the  United  States,  came  to  Washington  and 
met  tlie  students  of  colleo-e  and  manv  others,  in  a  laro-c 
room,  where  Dr.  Wylie  welcomed  him  in  a  sort  of  congrat- 
ulatory address."  "  It  was  done,"  says  Dr.  Baird,  in  a  notice 
of  Dr.  Wylie  in  the  Annals  of  the  American  Pulpit,  "  with 
uncommon  felicity,  and  showed  that  he  had  great  aptness 
for  meeting  a  special  occasion." 

His  sojourn  at  Canonsburg,  interrupted  as  it  was  by  sick- 
ness, was  of  consequence  to  Robert  Baird,  even  more  in  a 
religious  than  in  a  literary  point  of  view.  To  use  his  own 
words  :  "  The  year  which  I  spent  in  that  college  was  all- 
important  to  me.  Soon  after  joining  that  college,  I  became 
much  concerned  for  the  salvation  of  my  soul,  and  after  a 
few  weeks,  I  joined  the  church.  I  was  very  far  from  being 
qualified  for  a  step  so  solemn  as  this.  But  it  was  of  great 
service  to  me  ultimately,  as,  not  finding  that  peace  which  I 
expected  to  find  in  communion  with  the  people  of  God,  I 
was  more  excited  to  seek  earnestly  the  favor  of  God  and 
the  light  of  His  countenance.  I  trust  that  my  eyes  were  in 
some  measure  opened  to  see  the  importance  of  religion.     I 


24  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

was  extremeiy  ignorant  of  the  doctrines  of  grace,  and  was 
much  in  darkness,  and  most  of  the  time  destitute  of  hope. 
My  desire  for  worldly  honor  was  wonderfully  diminished, 
and  the  words,  '  What  is  a  man  profited  if  he  sliall  gain  the 
whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul?'  (Matthew  xvi.  26) 
made  a  great  impression  on  my  mind." 

But  while  lamenting  his  own  darkness  and  the  impossi- 
bility of  attaining  the  high  standard  of  Christian  excellence 
which  he  had  set  before  himself,  Robert  Baird  did  not 
make  these  an  excuse  for  abstaining  from  labors  to  advance 
the  cause  of  the  blessed  Saviour,  in  whose  righteousness, 
weighed  down  though  he  was  by  self-distrust,  he  placed  his 
entire  confidence.  On  the  contrary,  from  the  very  com- 
mencement of  his  religious  course,  it  was  eminently  charac- 
teristic of  his  piety  that,  while  it  was  simple  and  unostenta- 
tious, it  was  also  active,  thoughtful  and  aggressive.  Among 
his  classmates  and  at  home  among  the  friends  of  his  child- 
hood, he  commenced  at  once  to  exert  a  decided  influence  in 
behalf  of  the  religion  of  Christ.  The  thoroughness  of  his 
convictions  overcame  his  natm-al  difSdence,  and  made  him 
a  valuable  accession  to  the  band  of  pious  students.  The 
character  of  the  essays  which  he  wrote  during  this  year,  as 
college  exercises  or  to  be  read  on  special  occasions,  displays 
the  altered  bent  of  his  thoughts.  In  one,  "  On  the  Forma- 
tion of  a  Bible  Society,"  he  urges  his  fellow  students  to 
rally  to  the  support  of  a  society  auxiliary  to  the  American 
Bible  Society,  which  a  few  of  the  students  had  organized 
within  the  walls  of  Jefferson  College.  Considerations  of 
duty,  of  honor,  and  of  sympathy  are  successively  marshal- 
ed in  support  of  the  cause.  His  fellow  students  are  en- 
/  treated  to  seize  the  auspicious  moment  when  peace  with  its 
olive-branch  seems  to  have  just  dispersed  tlie  horrid  attend- 
ants of  war,  to  help  in  sending  the  Gospel  to  the  Iieatlien 
to  the  ignorant  in  Christian  lands,  to  the  unfortunate  inliabi' 
tants  of  South  America,  who  strive  in  vain  for  freedom  un- 


y/ 


HIS  GRADUATION. 


25 


less  tljcir  minds  become  enlightened  from  on  liigli.  In  otlicr 
essays  we  iind  the  new  convert  urging  the  danger  of  delay, 
the  sinfulness  of  profane  swearing,  and  the  pernicious  influ- 
ence of  plays  and  novels. 

The  year  spent  at  Canonsburg  was  not  less  important  in 
a  purely  intellectual  sense  than  that  at  Washington.  Mr. 
Baird  had  striven  to  improve  its  opportunities  to  the  utmost, 
faithfully  exerting  his  powers  to  acquire  useful  knowledge. 
At  the  close  of  this  year  no  assignment  of  honors  was  . 
made  to  the  Senior  Class.  It  was  composed  of  young  men 
who  were  highly  attached  to  each  other,  and  who  desired 
that  no  rivalries  should  disturb  at  parting  the  harmony  of 
their  friendship.  Accordingly,  all  those  who  could  have 
competed  for  special  honors,  if  not  the  entire  class,  peti-  • 
tioned  the  Faculty  to  make  no  distinctions  between  them, 
and  the  Faculty  cheerfully  acceded  to  the  request.  At  the 
annual  commencement  in  1818,  Mr.  Baird,  on  taking  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  delivered  an  oration. 

He  now  returned  home  ;  but,  after  remaining  no  great 
length  of  time,  again  took  leave  of  his  parents  and  friends 
in  Fayette  county,  and  started  for  the  town  of  Bellefonte, 
where  he  had  been  offered  and  had  accepted  the  position  of  ^^ 
principal  of  a  grammar  school.  His  father  gave  him  a 
good  horse,  on  which  he  traveled  the  considerable  distance 
which  he  was  obliged  to  traverse,  in  order  to  reach  his  des- 
tination. The  journey  was  a  pleasant  one  over  the  succes- 
sive ridges  of  the  Alleghanies,  and  it  took  the  young  travel- 
er further  away  from  the  parental  roof  than  he  had  ever 
before  been.  At  the  same  time,  his  mind  naturally  filled 
with  apprehension,  as  it  endeavored  to  fathom  the  untried 
future  and  read  the  secrets  there  concealed.  Not  without 
solicitude  did  the  young  graduate  picture  to  himself  the 
scene  of  his  future  labors,  wondering  whether  he  would  be 
competent  to  direct  the  studies,  and  gain  the  submission  of  • 
the  youth  to  be  committed  to  his  charge.     Occasionally,  his 


26  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

heart  almost  failed  him  wlicn  in  contrast  with  the  quiet 
scenes  of  the  home  of  his  childhood,  he  anticipated  the  re- 
sponsible positions  which  lay  in  store  for  him.  Bellefonte, 
the  shire  town  of  Centre  county,  occupies  almost  the  exact 
centre  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  standing  upon  the 
banks  of  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  western  branch  of 
the  Susquehanna  river.  Here  Mr.  Baird  was  soon  installed 
as  sole  teacher  of  a  school  which  boasted  some  twenty 
scholars  of  various  ages.  While  some  were  small  and  en- 
gaged in  the  most  elementary  studies,  others  were  as  old  as, 
and  a  few  even  older  than,  their  teacher  himself.  Thus  he 
found  occasion  to  review  all  the  branches  which  he  had  him- 
self pursued,  and  he  was  accustomed  to  say  that  there  was 
not  a  study  to  which  he  had  devoted  himself,  either  at  school 
or  at  college,  which  he  was  not  called  upon  to  teach  others. 
In  this  manner  he  laid  the  foundation  of  the  great  accuracy 
and  thoroughness  that  were  his  distinguishing  qualities  as 
a  teacher  as  long  as  lie  engaged  in  the  instruction  of  youth. 
At  the  same  time  a  remarkable  tact  for  the  government  of 
his  school  was  manifested — a  combination  of  gentleness  and 
firmness — which  while  convincing  the  pupils  that  the  direc- 
tions of  the  teacher  must  be  obeyed  to  the  letter,  at  the 
same  time  forced  them  all  to  admit  that  he  was  their  true 
friend,  upon  whose  assistance  they  could  rel}^  in  every  time 
of  difficulty.  Not  content,  however,  with  merely  discharg- 
ing in  a  creditable  manner  the  responsible  and  laborious 
duties  of  his  position — for  laborious  they  became  in  conse- 
quence of  the  conscientious  views  which  he  took  of  every 
employment  in  which  he  engaged — after  his  six  hours  in 
the  school  he  spent  his  leisure  time,  far  into  the  night,  in 
private  study. 

On  first  coming  to  Bellefonte  in  1818,  he  found  himself 
exposed  to  severe  temptations,  which,  he  often  blessed  God 
that  he  had  received  strength  to  resist  successfully.  Reli- 
gion was  at  a  low  ebb  in  this  portion  of  the  State.    Even 


CHRISTIAN  CONSISTENCY.  27 

professed  Christians  alloTvecl  themselves  great  latitude  m 
their  conforDiity  with  practices  at  variance  with  the  spirit 
of  their  covenant  vows.  The  county  seat  was  frequented 
by  lawyers  and  others,  many  of  whom,  if  not  avowed  infi- 
dels, were  undisguised  enemies  of  true,  spiritual  religion. 
In  such  a  community,  where  there  was  an  abundance  of 
wealth,  intelligence,  social  elegance  and  wit — everything, 
in  short,  with  the  exception  of  vital,  energetic,  zealous  god- 
liness— it  was  no  easy  thing  for  a  stranger,  and  a  young 
man,  too,  to  take  a  decided  stand  in  opposition  to  the  pre- 
vailing tone  and  practice  of  the  place.  To  this,  however, 
duty  called,  and  the  call  of  that  voice  he  determined  to 
heed,  whatever  the  consequence  might  be.  Some  friends  to 
whom  he  had  been  recommended,  and  who  were  eager  to  do 
everything  in  their  power  to  render  his  stay  in  their  midst 
as  agreeable  as  possible,  resolved  to  make  an  entertainment 
in  his  honor  which  partook  of  the  character  of  a  ball. 
They  had  perfected  their  arrangements  before  they  men- 
tioned their  intention  to  him,  for  they  little  expected  to 
meet  with  any  opposition  or  even  reluctance.  The  gentle- 
man who  gave  him  the  first  intimation  of  the  design,  was 
surprised  and  somewhat  offended,  when  Mr.  Baird  calmly, 
but  firmly  announced  to  him  the  impossibility  of  his  attend- 
ing, and  vainly  endeavored  to  persuade  him  to  reconsider 
his  decision.  Mr.  Baird  laid  before  him  the  true  state  of 
the  case,  the  duties  which  he  as  a  follower  of  Jesus  felt  to 
be  incumbent  upon  him,  and  the  injurious  effects  which  his 
compliance  with  the  invitation  must  have  upon  the  cause 
of  religion,  of  which  he  was  in  some  degree  a  representa- 
tive. He  closed  his  reply  by  a  direct  appeal,  asking  him 
what  he  himself  felt  to  be  most  in  accordance  with  his  duty, 
and  what  he  would  candidly  advise  him  to  do.  "  I  cannot 
in  good  conscience  recommend  you  to  do  otherwise  than  as 
you  have  said,"  was  the  rejoinder  ;  "  and  I  respect  you 
all  the  more  for  your  consistency  and  strong  principles." 


28  LIFE  OF  REV.  BR  BAIRD. 

This  decision,  difficult  as  it  was  for  a  young  man  just  en- 
tering a  strange  place,  was  of  incalculable  importance  to 
his  future  usefulness.     Had  lie  yielded  to  the  solicitations 
of  his  friends,  his  influence  upon  the  irreligious  would  have 
been  irretrievably  lost ;  but  his  firmness,  while  it  gave  them 
a  feeling  of  respect  for  the  sincerity  of  his  convictions,  did 
not,  as  he  had  feared,  diminish  their  friendship.     On  the 
contrary,  he  found  to  his  surprise  that  he  was  met  with  in- 
creased cordiality.     So  powerful  is  the  effect  of  an  unflinch- 
ing, uncompromising  devotion  to  the  dictates  of  duty,  to  the 
neglect  of  those  of  pleasure  and  apparent  interest.     Mr. 
Baird  was  permitted  to  converse  with  many  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  personal  religion,  and  not  a  feT\^  were  induced  to 
bless  God  for  his  faithfulness  in  laboring  for  their  salva- 
tion.    Among  tlie  opportunities  that  were  afforded  him  for 
doing  good,  during  his  residence  at  Bellefonte,  none  seemed 
to  promise  more  immediate  and  yet  lasting  results,  than 
that  of  influencing  the  public  mind  through  the  press.     The 
Bellefonte  "  Patriot"  was  edited  by  a  gentleman  who,  while 
by  no  means  a  professed  friend  of  religion,  was  glad  to  re- 
ceive contributions  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Baird,  for  whom  he 
entertained  both  friendship  and  respect.   Accordingly,  many 
an  hour  was  spent  by  the  young  teacher,  during  the  inter- 
vals of  respite  from  his  engrossing  toils  in  the  classroom 
and  study,  in  composing  articles  on  various  moral  and  reli- 
gious subjects,  which,  inserted  in  the  midst  of  the  acrimo- 
nious disputes  on  party  politics  that  constituted  the  staple 
of  most  of  the  country  papers  of  that  day,  found  their  way 
into  many  a  home  in  which  the  Bible  and  more  lengthy  reli- 
gious treatises  rarely  penetrated.     Some  of  them,  we  have 
reason  to  believe,  bore  abundant  fruit  in  the  religious  im- 
provement of  the  community.     Only  one  of  these  essays  has 
come  under  our  notice,  bearing  date  of  June,  1819.     It  was, 
doubtless,  tlie  success  that  attended  his  efforts  in  this  direc- 
tion, that  induced  Mr.  Baird  to  form  a  high  conception  of 


CHRISTIAN  EFFORTS  THROUGH  THE  PRESS.        29 

the  good  iufluence  wliicli  the  Press  is  calculated  to  exert 
when  under  suitable  guidance.  Xone  estimated  it  liigher  ; 
few  ever  liad  more  frequent  recourse  to  it  for  philanthropic 
purposes.  We  shall  see  that  at  a  later  period,  when  deeply 
interested  in  promoting  the  cause  of  education,  and  again 
in  missionary  operations  at  home  and  abroad,  he  was  a  fre- 
quent contributor  to  the  journals,  both  secular  and  religious, 
of  America  and  England. 

"  An  address  to  a  female  class  at  Bellefonte,"'  which  has 
been  preserved,  s6ems  to  have  been  one  of  the  last  produc- 
tions from  tlie  pen  of  Mr.  Baird  during  his  residence  at  that 
place.  It  is  a  rapid  survey  of  the  importance  of  the  various 
branches  of  study  which  these  pupils  had  pursued  under  his 
instruction,  in  which  "  although  he  cannot  flatter  them  with 
the  name  of  proficients,  yet  he  may  truly  say  that  their 
improvement  is  highly  creditable.''  And  it  closes  with  an 
earnest  recommendation  that  they  should  build  well  upon 
the  foundation  of  knowledge  thus  laid,  by  the  reading  of 
books  "  which  give  substantial  benefit,"  to  the  exclusion 
of  those  "  that  lead  to  imaginary  scenes  of  happiness, 
which  will  never  prepare  for  the  trials  and  disappointments 
of  real  life."  Above  all,  it  enjoins  a  serious  consideration 
of  the  claims  of  Christ  and  the  world  to  come,  and  a  bold 
and  unhesitating  profession  of  the  Saviour. 

In  such  pursuits  this  year  of  labor  came  rapidly  to  its 
close,  and  in  accordance  with  his  previously-formed  plan, 
Mr.  Baird  prepared  to  leave  Bellefonte  for  the  Theological 
Seminary  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey.  By  industry  and  fru- 
gality he  had  saved  an  amount  sufiicient  to  support  him 
while  pursuing  his  professional  studies.  Parting,  therefore, 
with  regret,  from  the  friends  whom  he  had  made,  and  who 
in  vain  endeavored  to  retain  him  at  the  head  of  the  school 
to  which  he  had  given  a  life  which  it  never  possessed  before, 
he  left  Bellefonte  for  the  new  scenes  in  which  his  lot  was  to 
be  cast.     Alluding  to  the  period  which  had  now  closed,  he 


30  LIFE  OF  REV.  I)R.  BAIRD. 

says  in  the  "  Review"  of  his  youth  :  "  The  goodness  of  the 
Lord  was  very  great  there.  He  raised  up  to  me  dear  friends 
to  whom  I  shall  ever  be  attached  ;  and  He  led  me  alono-, 
inexperienced  as  I  was,  and  enabled  me  to  do  a  little  for 
His  glory." 


CHAPTER  III. 

ENTERS    THE    THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY    AT    PRINCETON,    AND 
BECOMES   A   TUTOR   IN   THE   COLLEGE   OF   NEW   JERSEY. 

1819-1822. 

IN  the  autumn  of  the  year  1819,  Mr.  Baird,  now  nearly 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  set  out  for  Princeton,  New 
Jersey.  His  mind,  after  a  serious  consideration  of  the 
question  respecting  his  duty  in  the  choice  of  a  profession, 
had  been  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  work  of  the  sacred 
ministry  was  that  to  which  he  was  called  of  God.  He 
longed  to  enter  the  wide  field  of  usefulness  that  spreads 
before  the  faithful  minister  of  the  Gospel,  even  though  dis- 
trust of  his  own  qualifications  would  have  deterred  him 
from  seeking  so  responsible  a  work.  Confident,  however, 
that  the  same  Hand  which  had  conducted  him  thus  far, 
opening  the  door  in  an  unforeseen  manner  for  his  obtaining 
a  liberal  education,  would  continue  to  guide  him  in  the 
future,  and  would  assign  him  the  position  that  was  best 
adapted  for  his  powers,  he  pressed  manfully  forward  to 
prepare  himself  for  the  pulpit  which  his  parents  had  in  his 
childhood  hoped  that  he  would  one  day  fill. 

The  "  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States"  had  been  founded,  seven  years  before 
the  period  to  which  we  are  now  referring,  in  the  same 
quiet  village  of  Princeton,  where  the  college  of  New  Jersey 
had,  for  more  than  a  half  century,  been  lending  a  powerful 
support  to  the  cause  of  education  and  religion  in  America. 

(81) 


32  LIFE  OF  EEV.  BR  BAIRD. 

To  the  Kev.  Archibald  Alexander,  D.  D.,  appointed  first 
professor  in  1812,  had  been  added,  in  the  following  year, 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Miller,  D.  D.  On  a  catalogue  of  the  insti- 
tution (published  in  January,  1820,  and  occupying  but  a 
single  page  of  a  large  sheet  of  paper),  which  Mr.  Baird 
sent  to  his  aged  parents  in  Western  Pennsylvania,  these 
two  clerg}Taen  comprise  the  entire  faculty  ;  Dr.  Alexander, 
as  professor  of  Didactic  and  Polemic  Theology,  and  Dr. 
Miller,  as  professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Church 
Government.  "  The  Instruction  in  Biblical  Literature  and 
Pastoral  Theology,"  a  note  informs  us,  "is  conducted  by 
Dr.  Alexander — that  on  the  Composition  and  Delivery  of 
Sermons,  by  Dr.  Miller." 

The  lists  of  the  three  classes,  comprising  in  the  aggregate 
sixty-nine  names,  contain  a  large  number  of  those  who  have 
worthily  filled  the  sacred  desk,  some  of  whom  are  now  no 
lono:er  amono:  the  living.  In  the  "  First"  or  Senior  Class, 
we  meet  the  familiar  names  of  David  M.  Magie,  Howard 
Malcom,  Samuel  S.  Schmucker,  Benjamin  B.  Wisner  ;  in 
the  "Second"  Class,  Alfred  Chester,  Joshua  N.  Danforth, 
James  Y.  Henry,  William  Scott,  Charles  S.  Stewart ;  in 
the  "Third  "or  Junior  Class,  besides  Robert  Baird,  xlrte- 
mas  Bishop,  John  Maclean,  Franklin  G.  Smith  and  Hugh 
Wilson. 

The  long  letter  that  accompanies  this  catalogue  allows 
us  an  interesting  glance  at  the  feelings  of  the  young  theo- 
^  logical  student  in  the  middle  of  his  first  year  in  the  Semi- 
nary. After  giving  expression  to  the  joy  he  experienced 
when  he  last  heard  from  home,  he  assures  his  beloved 
parents  that  time  and  absence  have  only  deepened  his  affec- 
tion. The  opening  spring  recalled  more  forcibly  than  any 
other  season  of  the  year  the  bustling  scenes  of  the  old  famil- 
iar life  upon  the  farm,  and  the  days  that  were  gone.  The 
new  home  of  his  student  sojourn  also  furnished  its  reminders 
of  the  dear  absent  ones.     A  favorite  walk  was  upon  the 


THEOLOGICAL  STUDIES. 


33 


principal  road  leading  from  Philadelphia  to  New  York,  and 
which  acquired  ever  fresh  interest  from  the  thought  that 
his  father  had  trodden  its  weary  length,  forty-three  years 
before,  when  marching  at  the  call  of  his  country  to  repel  its 
enemies.  On  turning  in  another  direction,  he  found  himself 
musing  in  that  consecrated  spot,  where,  side  by  side,  repose 
the  sainted  forms  of  the  lamented  Dickinson  and  Burr, 
Edwards  and  Davies,  Finley  and  Witherspoon.  His  studies 
were  interesting  and  absorbing  ;  yet  he  felt  deeply  im-  p 
pressed  with  the  conviction  that,  after  all,  true  piety  was  to  i 
be  preferred  above  all  human  knowledge. 

Justly  estimating  the  privileges  he  enjoyed,  his  applica- 
tion to  study  was  intense.  Although  of  a  naturally  social 
disposition,  his  diffidence  conspired  with  his  ardent  thirst 
for  learning  to  restrain  him  from  entering  to  any  great 
extent  into  the  society  of  the  place  ;  and  an  informal 
gathering,  in  which  he  could  meet  a  few  genial  spirits,  and 
converse  as  in  the  unrestricted  intercourse  of  home,  always 
possessed  more  attractions  for  him,  than  the  larger  assem- 
blages in  whose  badinage  he  by  no  means  professed  himself 
an  adept.  But  the  congenial  pursuits  of  a  student  of  the- 
ology were  far  from  engrossing  his  entire  time  and  atten- 
tion. His  was  an  active,  philanthropic  nature,  never  con- 
tented with  sluggish  or  selfish  repose,  while  there  was  any-  ^ 
thing  within  his  reach  that  could  improve  or  elevate  the 
physical  or  moral  condition  of  his  fellowmen.  Accordingly, 
a  number  of  different  schemes  for  doing  good  occupied  his 
spare  hours,  prominent  among  which  was  the  instruction  of 
the  negroes,  of  whom  there  was  a  considerable  nuRiber  in 
Princeton  and  its  vicinity.  Sabbath-schools  for  their  espe"  *^ 
cial  benefit  were  instituted  about  this  time,  and  found  in 
Mr.  Baird  a  warm  supporter.  Many  were  the  children,  as  ^ 
well  as  grown  persons,  whom  he  taught  how  to  read. 
Numbers  of  these,  after  the  lapse  of  so  many  years,  still 
remember  him  with  liveliest  interest,  and  the  very  mention 
3 


34 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


of  his  name  touches  a  chord  of  sympathy  and  affection  in 
their  breasts.  We  remember  in  particular  the  emotion  that 
one  aged  negro  displayed  when  telling  us  the  kindness  and 
patience  which  our  father  had  evinced,  forty  years  ago,  in 

••   instructing  him,  at  that  time  a  slave,  not  only  in  the  letter 
but  also  in  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel. 

During  the  first  two  years  of  his  stay  as  a  student  of  the- 
ology, Mr.  Baird  devoted  some  hours  in  each  week  to  a  few 
private  pupils.  His  excellent  scholarship  in  tlie  Seminary, 
as  well  as  the  reputation  of  a  successful  teacher  which  he 
had  acquired  in  Bellefonte,  now  led  to  his  receiving  the 
offer  of  a  tutorship  in  the  college  of  New  Jersey — the  ven- 
erable Xassau  Hall — which  became  vacant  at  the  close  of 
his  second  year,  in  1821,  by  the  promotion  of  Mr.  John 
Maclean  to  the  professorsliip  of  mathematics  and  mechanics. 
The  appointment  was  all  the  more  honorable,  because  rarely 
conferred  upon  any  young  men,  except  those  who  to  fine 
abilities  and  scholarship,  added  the  recommendation  of 
beino-  Graduates  of  the  colleo:e.  Mr.  Baird  did  not  hesitate 
to  accept  the  position,  and  assumed  the  duties  of  the  office 
at  the  commencement  of  the  new  session.     He  remained 

y  tutor  for  a  year — that  is  to  say,  to  the  close  of  the  third 
and  last  year  of  his  theological  course,  whose  studies  he 
pursued  at  the  same  time  with  his  engagements  at  the 
college. 

This  was  an  eventful  year  in  his  history,  and  one  to  whose 
striking  incidents  he  was  wont  to  advert  often  with  great 
pleasure.  xVs  tutor,  his  duties  were  not  comprised  merely 
under  the  head  of  instruction.  Besides  these  there  were 
executive  functions  of  a  most  important  character  entrusted 
almost  entirely  to  those  college  officers  who,  from  the  cir- 
cumstance that  they  roomed  in  the  college  buildings  and 
presided  at  the  refectory,  were  brought  into  hourly  contact 
with  the  students,  and  were  mainly  responsible  for  the  good 
order  of  the  institution. 


TUTOR  IN  THE  COLLEGE  OF  NEW  JERSEY,        35 

The  year  1821-22  was  marked  by  its  full  proportion  of 
outbreaks  of  an  insubordinate  spirit  on  the  part  of  the  stu- 
dents of  Nassau  Hall.  Indeed,  it  may  be  safely  said,  that 
the  last  forty  years  have  witnessed  a  very  marked  improve- 
meut  in  the  relation  of  the  students  of  all  our  old  colleges 
to  their  Faculties.  With  a  great  increase  in  the  nmiiber 
of  young  men  gathered  within  their  walls,  there  has  been  a 
remarkable  decrease  in  the  number  of  occasions  demanding 
the  exercise  of  discipline.  Whether  this  is  attributable  to 
the  riper  age  of  those  admitted — cases  of  graduation  at  six- 
teen or  seventeen  years  of  age,  which  were  formerly  fre- 
quent, being  at  present  quite  unheard  of — or  to  the  disci- 
pline of  mind  gained  in  preparing  for  the  advanced  standard 
of  requirements  for  matriculation — or,  as  we  would  fain  hope, 
to  the  wider  prevalence  of  correct  moral  and  religious  sen- 
timents— certain  it  is  that  there  are  far  fewer  ao-s^ravated 
offenses,  especially  of  a  malicious  character. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BECOMES  PRINCIPAL  OF  THE  ACADEMY  AT  PRINCETON.  HIS 
MARRIAGE.  HIS  EFFORTS  TO  SECURE  THE  REPUBLICATION 
OF  VALUABLE  RELIGIOUS  WORKS.  IS  LICENSED  TO  PREACH 
THE  GOSPEL. 

1822-1827. 

FOR  some  time  before  the  completion  of  his  theological 
course  of  study,  Mr.  Baird's  thoughts  had  been  much 
engrossed  with  the  consideration  of  the  particular  field  of 
labor  in  which  he  should  engage.  On  the  one  hand,  he 
felt  himself  strongly  attracted  to  the  pastoral  office,  of  whose 
importance  and  responsibility  he  entertained  the  highest 
estimate,  and  whose  opportunities  for  doing  good  he  ear- 
nestly coveted.  On  the  other  hand,  he  had  a  very  low 
opinion  of  his  own  abilities,  especially  as  a  public  speaker. 
His  few  oratorical  exercises  in  the  presence  of  the  profes- 
sors and  students  of  the  Seminary  led  him  to  believe  that 
his  delivery  was  defective  ;  his  eyes  were  riveted  upon  his 
notes  from  one  end  of  the  discourse  to  the  otlier,  and  his 
diffidence  was  painful  to  his  audience  as  well  as  to  himself. 
While  sensitively  alive  to  these  disadvantages,  which  he 
almost  despaired  of  overcoming,  he  was  admitted  on  all 
sides  to  be  a  thorough  scholar,  and  a  teaclier  of  marked 
success  in  commanding  the  respect  of  his  pupils  and  in  im- 
parting instruction.  A  good  classical  academy  had  long 
been  needed  at  Princeton,  and  some  gentlemen  of  tlio  place 
offered  to  erect  a  suitable  building  for  such  a  school,  if  Mr. 

(36) 


HIS  MAMRIAOE.  37 

Baird  would  consent  to  become  the  principal.  After  much 
reflection,  and  consulting  a  number  of  his  friends,  whose 
opinions  were  favorable  to  the  enterprise,  he  consented  to 
accept  the  position,  with  little  expectation,  we  believe,  of 
filling  it  longer  than  a  year  or  two,  and  still  retaining  his 
purpose  to  enter  ultimately  upon  the  duties  of  a  settled 
pastor.  Having  employed  a  friend  to  take  charge  of  the 
school  for  a  month  or  two,  until  the  close  of  his  engagement 
at  the  college  would  allow  him  to  teach  in  person,  Mr. 
Baird  remained  a  tutor  in  Nassau  Hall  until  the  end  of  the 
scholastic  year,  and  became  principal  of  the  academy  in  the 
summer  or  autumn  of  1822. 

Five  years  and  a  half  were  spent  by  Mr.  Baird  in  the  in- 
struction of  youth.  During  this  time  he  declined  a  number 
of  invitations  to  other  fields  of  labor.  One  of  these  was 
made  to  him  in  1824  by  the  Rev.  Philip  Lindsley,  D.D. — who 
had  been  professor  and  acting  president  of  the  College  of 
New  Jersey  during  Mr.  Baird's  connection  with  it  as  tutor, 
and  had  now  become  chancellor  of  the  University  of  Nash- 
ville— to  a  professorship  in  that  young  institution.  The 
success  of  Mr.  Baird  as  a  teacher  was  no  less  signal  in  the 
academy  at  Princeton,  than  in  the  school  at  Bellefonte  and 
in  the  college.  Many  of  his  scholars  afterwards  rose  to 
public  distinction,  and  few  remembered  his  instructions 
witliout  gratitude.  Among  others,  William  B.  Napton, 
afterwards  and  for  some  years  Presiding  Judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  and  Joseph  Addison 
Alexander,  son  of  the  Bev.  Archibald  Alexander,  D.D.,  at- 
tended his  school  and  there  prepared  for  college. 

On  the  24th  of  August,  1824,  Mr.  Baird  was  united  in 
marriage  at  Philadelphia  to  Miss  Fermine  0.  A.  Du  Buis- 
son,  a  young  lady  of  Huguenot  extraction.  It  was  perhaps 
in  some  degree  through  this  union,  which  was  a  source  of 
undiminished  happiness  throughout  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  that  his  interest  was  kindled  in  a  particular  manner  in 


38  LIFE  OF  REV.  BR  BAIED. 

behalf  of  Frcnchjevangelization,  and  tliat  lie  was  incluccd  a 
few  years  later  to  attempt  to  establish  a  society  having  for 
its  object  to  enlist  the  cooperation  of  American  Christians 
in  the  furtherance  of  this  work. 

In  1822,  Mr.  Baird  who  had  placed  himself  under  the  care 
of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  was  licensed  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  at  the  same  time  with  Mr.  John  Breckenridge. 
While  he  did  not  seek  a  pastoral  settlement,  he  by  no 
means  neglected  the  opportunities  of  speaking  in  public  for 
Christ,  which  were  offered  him,  early  becoming  a  sort  of 
minister  at  large,  and  never  hesitating  to  respond  to  the 
Invitations  of  his  brethren  or  of  neighboring  churches. 

A  mind  continually  upon  the  alert  for  the  discovery  of 
new  methods  of  doing  good,  suggested  several  enterprises 
of  an  unostentatious  character,  which  he  pursued  with  great 
self-forgetfulness,  and,  as  it  is  believed,  with  no  little  benefit 
to  the  community.  One  of  these  was  the  republication  of 
English  religious  works  which  he  hoped  would  prove  valu- 
.  able  accessories  to  the  literature  of  the  country.  Among 
these  we  may  enumerate  the  "Life  of  Col.  Gardner," 
Scougal's  "  Life  of  God  in  the  Soul  of  Man,"  and  Bicker- 
steth's  "  Scripture  Help."  The  mention  of  the  latter  recalls 
an  interesting  passage  which  we  find  in  a  letter  of  Dr. 
Baird  to  the  Neio  York  Evangelist,  written  from  London 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  later  than  the  period  of  which 
we  are  speaking.  After  a  meeting  to  promote  the  Evan- 
gelical Alliance,  lield  at  Hertford,  just  before  the  conclusion 
of  the  sessions  of  the  first  conference  of  that  noble  organiza- 
tion in  1846,  Dr.  Baird  with  the  other  speakers — Rev. 
Messrs.  Tholuck,  Adolphe  Monod;  La  Harpe,  Kirk,  Lord 
Wriothesly  Russell,  Hon.  Mr.  Cowper,  and  otliers — was 
invited  to  spend  the  night  beneath  the  hospitable  roof  of 
Mr.  Bickersteth  at  the  Rectory  of  Wotton,  five  miles  dis- 
tant. "  The  ride  was  delightful,  amid  the  sweet  hedges, 
which  border  so  generally  the  roads  in  England."    The 


VISIT  TO  REV.  MR.  BICEER8TETH.  39 

house  was  filled  with  guests,  and  Dr.  Baird  was  put  in  Mr. 
Bickersteth's  library.  "  In  the  morning,"  he  writes,  "  I  was 
up  early,  not  only  to  survey  the  beautiful  grounds  which 
surround  this  rectory,  and  render  it  one  of  the  most  charm- 
ing spots  in  the  world,  but  also  to  rummage  among  Mr. 
Bickersteth's  books.  In  a  snug  corner  I  found  all  those 
which  he  himself  hafe  written,  and  which  have  done  so  much 
good  ;  amounting  to  some  twenty  duodecimo  volumes,  to 
say  nothing  of  pamplilets  and  tracts.  I  will  not  trouble 
your  readers  with  the  names  of  them,  although  I  sincerely 
wish  that  every  one  of  them  had  the  entire  series.  Among 
them  I  recognized  an  old  friend,  the  "  Scripture  Help," 
which,  in  its  original  smaller  form,  Prof.  Maclean  of  Prince- 
ton and  myself  caused  to  be  republished  in  that  village  in 
the  year  1822,  and  which  was  the  first  of  Mr.  Bickersteth's 
books  that  was  ever  published  in  America — if  I  am  not 
mistaken.  Mr.  Bickersteth  was  much  pleased  when  he 
learned  it,  and  I  was  delighted  to  become  acquainted  with 
one  whose  name  was  first  associated  with  my  humble  efforts 
in  the  way  of  publishing  good  books." 

Xo  doubt  the  seed  thus  sown  produced  fruit.  The  valu- 
able religious  works  which  Mr.  Baird  and  his  associates 
were  the  means  of  introducing  to  the  notice  of  many,  into 
whose  hands  they  might  otherwise  never  have  fallen,  were 
not  without  their  appropriate  influence.  The  enterprise 
was,  however,  frequently  the  source  of  considerable  pecuni- 
ary loss. 

About  the  same  time,  we  find  Mr.  Baird  an  active  mem- 
ber of  an  association  instituted  December  2 J:,  1824,  bavins: 
for  its  object  "  to  promote  the  circulation  of  correct  opinions 
upon  Religion,  Morals,  Education,  etc.,  excluding  Sectarian 
Theology  and  Party  Politics."  It  was  the  duty  of  each 
member,  as  laid  down  in  the  constitution,  "  at  least  once  a 
month  to  publish  in  any  convenient  way,  some  article  de- 
signed to  answer  the  object  specified  above ;"  and  the  co- 


J 


40 


LIFE  OF  BEV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


operation  of  all  the  meiiibers  was  pledged  in  support  of  the 
sentiments  or  object  advocated,  so  far  as  the  "judgment,  con- 
science, and  circumstances  "  of  each  might  permit.  Besides 
the  signature  of  Mr.  Baird,  we  find  those  of  Luther  Halsey, 
jr.,  Archibald  Alexander,  John  Maclean,  Charles  Hodge,  J. 
W.  Alexander,  James  Carnahan,  and  others,  appended  to 
the  constitution  ;  together  with  those  of  Edward  N.  Kirk. 
Charles  Hall,  "Wm.  S.  Plummer  and  otlier  well-known 
clergymen,  who  joined  the  society  in  succeeding  years. 


CHAPTER   Y. 

LABORS   IX   SUPPLYING   THE   DESTITUTE   IN   NEW  JERSEY  WITH 

THE   BIBLE. 

1827-1828. 

IN  the  summer  of  1827,  Mr.  Baird's  interest  was  enlisted 
in  a  new  enterprise,  bearing  more  directly  than  any  in 
which  he  had  hitherto  participated,  upon  the  advancement 
of  the  cause  of  Christ.  Nineteen  years  had  elapsed  since 
the  first  Bible  Society  was  established  in  the  United  States. 
That  society — the  Philadelphia  Bible  Society — was  not  long 
suffered  to  toil  alone  in  the  work  of  benevolence.  "  Soon 
after  its  origin  a  constellation  of  Bible  Societies  arose,  dif- 
fusing light  and  happiness  through  many  of  the  moral 
wastes  of  our  land.  One  of  these  was  the  New  Jersey 
Bible  Society  which  was  organized  in  the  year  1809.  For 
many  years  this  was  one  of  the  most  efficient  societies  in 
our  country  ;  and  from  it  the  American  Bible  Society  may 
be  said  to  have  originated,  as  the  first  proposition,  on  this 
subject,  was  made  by  the  Board  of  the  New  Jersey  Bible 
Society ;  and  its  president  (the  late  Hon.  Elias  Boudinot, 
LL.D.)  was  chosen  the  first  President  of  that  noble  institu- 
tion." *  Between  1809  and  1827,  thirty-two  other  Bible 
Societies  had  been  formed  within  the  borders  of  the  state. 

*  We  quote  from  a  pamphlet  entitled,  "A  statement  of  what  has  been 
recently  done  to  supply  the  destitute  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey  with  the 
Sacred  Scriptures ;  published  at  the  request  of  the  Executive  Committee  of 
the  New  Jersey  Bible  Society "  (Princeton,  1828).  This  statement  was 
read  by  Mr.  Baird  to  the  Committee,  which  requested  him  and  Mr.  Mac- 
lean "  as  general  agents  in  carrying  this  enterprise  into  effect,  to  publish 
Baid  statement,  in  such  manner  as  they  shall  judge  best." 

(41) 


^ 


^2  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

With  so  many  agencies,  having  for  their  sole  object  to 
promote  the  circukition  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  it  might 
haA'C  been  anticipated  that  there  would  have  been  little 
call  for  special  effort  to  supply  a  destitution  of  the  sacred 
volume.  Such  was  the  prevailing  belief  to  which  Mr.  Baird 
and  Prof.  Maclean  allude  in  the  "  statement"  already  cited. 
"  Had  any  one,"  say  they,  "  ventured  to  estimate  the  num- 
ber of  families  in  New  Jersey  destitute  of  a  Bible,  eighteen 
years  ago,  when  the  Xcw  Jersey  Bible  Society  was  formed, 
he  doubtless  would  have  supposed  the  number  very  small. 
He  would  have  imagined  that  in  a  State  so  old,  containing 
so  many  churches  aud  so  many  excellent  ministers  of  the 
Gospel,  of  various  denominations,  there  could  be  but  a 
small  number  of  persons  without  the  Sacred  Scriptures. 
Indeed,  the  opinion  was  commonly  entertained  throughout 
the  country,  that  there  was  no  need  of  Bible  Societies,  be- 
cause there  were  few,  if  any,  that  did  not  possess  the  Bible. 
But  how  astonishing  is  the  fact  now  ascertained,  that  after 
..  all  which  has  been  done  by  more  than  thirty  Bible  Societies 
in  the  State,  after  the  distribution  of  many  thousands  of 
Bibles  within  a  few  years,  more  than  seven  thousand  fami- 
>/  lies  have  been  found  without  a  Bible." 

The  first  startling  proofs  of  the  alarming  destitution  of 
the  Sacred  Scriptures  in  the  State  of  Xew  Jersey,  seem  to 
have  been  noticed  by  tlie  Rev.  Job  F.  Halsey,  while  dis- 
tributing Bibles  in  Monmouth  County.  Astonished  at  the 
unexpected  discovery,  he  called  to  it  the  attention  of  some 
of  the  former  members  of  the  Monmouth  Bible  Society — an 
organization  that  had  been  allowed  to  fall  into  neglect. 
They  were  induced  to  revive  the  society,  and  resolve  with 
the  Divine  blessing,  to  supply  every  destitute  family  in  the 
county  within  a  year. 

But  the  Nassau  Hall  Bible  Society,  wliicli  held  its  fifteenth 
annual  meeting  at  Princeton,  on  the  Hist  of  July,  1827, 
took  a  more  enlarged  view  of  the  work  which  the  provi- 


THE  BIBLE  AV  NEW  JERSEY.  43 

dence  of  God  had  laid  out  before  the  Church.  We  cannot 
better  describe  its  proceedings,  tlian  by  quoting  from  the 
"Statement"  written  by  Mr.  Baird,  and  published  in  the 
ensuing  year  : 

"  The  assemblage  of  its  members  and  friends  on  that  oc- 
casion, was  large  and  respectable.  After  the  reading  of 
the  report,  which  gave  an  account  of  the  success  of  the 
society  during  the  past  year,  addresses  of  an  interesting 
character  were  delivered  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Christmas,  of 
Montreal,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Patton,  of  New  York,  who  at- 
tended as  delegates  from  the  American  Bible  Society  ;  and 
by  several  young  men  of  the  College  and  Theological  Sem- 
inary. The  Rev.  J.  F.  Halsey,  who  with  Dr.  John  T. 
Woodhull  attended  as  the  delegate  from  Monmouth,  pro- 
posed that  the  society  should  resolve  to  supply,  within  one 
year  from  that  meeting,  every  destitute  family  in  New 
Jersey,  with  a  Bible.  This  proposition  was  warmly  advo- 
cated by  some  of  the  friends  of  the  society  ;  and  it  was  as 
warmly  opposed  by  others  who  were  not  less  friendly  to  the 
cause,  upon  the  ground  that  the  work  appeared  too  great 
to  be  accomplished  with  the  means  proposed.  During  the 
protracted  discussion  which  ensued,  so  much  interest  was 
felt  in  the  proposed  object,  by  tlie  young  men  who  were  * 
present,  that  upwards  of  thirty  of  them  agreed  to  spend 
their  succeeding  vacation  in  laboring  to  effect  it.  This  cir- 
cumstance, together  with  other  facts  of  an  encouraging 
nature  developed  in  the  course  of  the  meeting,  rendered 
the  work  apparently  practicable  ;  and  a  resolution,  so 
constructed  as  to  embrace  the  views  of  those  who  were  op- 
posed to  the  proposition  in  its  original  form,  was  presented 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Alexander,  and  unanimously  adopted, 
which  was:  "  That  in  reliance  upon  Divine  aid,  every  desti- 
tute family  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey  shall  be  supplied,  if 
possible,  with  a  copy  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  within  one 
year,  by  this  Society,  in  cooperation  with  the  other  Bible 


44  J^IFE  OF  BEY.  JDB.  BAIRD. 

Societies  in  the  State."  At  the  close  of  the  meeting,  and 
during  the  early  part  of  tlie  next  day,  nearly  four  liundred 
dollars  were  subscribed  to  aid  in  accomplishing  the  object. 
Xever  since  the  origin  of  the  society,  had  so  interesting  a 
meeting  occurred.  There  was  but  one  desire  manifested  at 
its  close,  that  of  accomplishing  the  glorious  work.  And 
the  meeting  terminated  in  the  universal  felicitations  of  the 
friends  of  the  Bible  ;  all  considering  the  commencement  of 
the  work  as  highly  auspicious,  and  all  breathing  devout 
aspirations  for  the  Divine  blessing  on  the  undertaking." 

Delegates  were  appointed  by  the  managers  of  the  Nassau 
Hall  Bible  Society,  on  the  following  day,  to  attend  the  an- 
nual meetings  of  several  of  the  other  societies,  which  were 
to  take  place  before  the  beginning  of  the  autumnal  vaca- 
tions of  the  College  and  Seminary  (September  26),  and 
Rev.  Luther  B.  Halsey,  jr.,  and  Rev.  Robert  Baird  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  write  to  the  sister  societies,  as 
well  as  to  distinguished  gentlemen  throughout  the  State, 
requesting  their  countenance  in  the  work.  ''The  Lord," 
they  said  in  their  letter,  '•  seems  to  smile  upon  the  under- 
taking. Several  counties  and  townships  have  combined  in 
the  cause.  Will  you  have  the  goodness  to  help,  by  stirring 
up  the  Bible  Society  of  your  county,  or  township  ;  or  if 
none  exist,  by  endeavoring  to  form  one  ;  by  devising  some 
way  to  have  the  township  in  which  you  live  explored,  so 
that  its  wants  may  be  ascertained  ;  by  collecting  money  to 
aid  in  purchasing  the  Bibles  needed  ;  and  by  assisting  those 
persons  who  may  be  sent  from  this  place  to  your  county  in 
the  coming  October?'*  They  recommended  tlie  setting 
apart  of  a  portion  of  every  Tuesday  evening  for  prayer 
'•  that  God  would  give  success  in  the  undertaking,  and  also 
send  His  Holy  Spirit  with  His  word  to  sanctify  the  hearts 
of  men  by  His  own  Truth."  And  they  announced  the 
object  of  their  labors  to  be  :  "  1.  To  visit  every  family.  2. 
To  ascertain  who  are  destitute  of  the  Bible^  endeavoring 


BIBLE  DISTFJBUTIOK 


+5 


to  engage  tliem  to  pay  for  it  in  whole,  or  in  part,  when  it 
shall  be  delivered  to  them.  3.  To  induce  those  who  have 
the  Word  of  God  to  contribute  something  in  aid  of  this 
benevolent  object."  Mr.  Halsey  and  Mr.  Baird,  at  the 
same  time,  drew  up  a  circular,  which  was  kindly  inserted  at 
their  request  in  almost  every  newspaper  in  the  common- 
wealth. 

But  little  time,  however,  was  lost  in  making  these  prepa- 
rations ;  for  the  active  labors  of  the  exploration  and  distribu- 
tion were  commenced  at  the  end  of  September.  The  execu- 
tive committee  of  the  Nassau  Bible  Society  appointed  Mr. 
Baird  and  Prof.  Maclean,  to  superintend  and  direct  the 
whole  work.  "  The  latter  visited  several  counties,  and  also 
attended  the  meetimxs  of  several  ecclesiastical  bodies,  and 
obtained  their  approbation  of  the  undertaking.  The  for- 
mer, during  the  vacation,  visited  most  of  the  counties  twice, 
and  endeavored,  both  by  personal  exertions  and  corre- 
spondence with  the  societies  and  the  agents  in  different 
parts  of  the  State,  to  aid  the  cause." 

Fortv-five  vounsr  men,  members  of  the  College  and  Theo- 
logical  Seminary,  gave  their  personal  efforts  to  the  good 
work.  The  instructions  that  were  given  them  directed 
them,  while  engaged  in  Bible  distribution,  to  collect  infor- 
mation on  ''  several  important  topics  not  immediately  con- 
nected with  their  Biblical  operations  ;  such  as  the  number 
of  persons  of  adult  age  who  cannot  read,  the  number  of 
children  between  five  and  fifteen  years  of  age  that  receive 
no  education  in  common  schools,  together  with  the  number 
of  the  deaf  and  dumb." 

Within  the  first  six  weeks  the  work  for  whose  execution 
an  entire  year  had  been  thought  \ij  many  to  be  too  short  a 
term,  was  in  great  degree  accomplished,  partly  by  local 
efforts,  but  chiefly  through  the  labors  of  the  students  from 
the  institutions  at  Princeton.  The  entire  enterprise  was 
virtually  terminated  long  before  the  year,  or  even  the  first 


46  LIFE  OF  REV.  LR.  BAIUD. 

half  of  it,  had  elapsed.  Mr.  Baird's  exertions  were  untir- 
ing. During  the  vacation  he  was  continually  absent  from 
home,  endeavoring,  by  public  meetings  aod  by  personal 
supervision  to  give  greater  vigor  to  the  prosecution  of  the 
necessary  labors.  And  his  heart  was  early  cliecred  with 
the  prospect  of  success.  On  the  23d  of  October,  from 
Woodbury,  he  wrote:  "The  Lord  has  granted  a  good  de- 
gree of  prosperity  to  the  undertaking."  In  January,  1828, 
in  the  "  Statement,"  after  a  particular  narrative  of  what  had 
been  accomplished  in  each  county,  lie  says':  "  Our  readers 
will  perceive  from  what  has  been  stated,  that  the  work  of 
supplying  the  destitute  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey  with  the 
Bible,  is  nearly  completed.  .  .  We  rejoice  that  so  much  has 
been  accamplished  within  less  than  six  months.  We  trust 
that  if  any  families  have  escaped  notice,  they  will  yet  be 
discovered  and  supplied  by  the  county  and  other  societies. 
To  suppose  that  none  have  escaped  the  vigilance  of  the 
agents  would  indeed  be  unreasonable.  We  believe,  how- 
ever, that  the  number  of  such  is  not  great.  We  have  done 
all  that  we  could  to  accomplish  the  resolution  to  put  a  Bible 
in  every  destitute  family  in  the  State.  To  keep  up  this  sup- 
ply, and  to  perpetuate  it,  will  require  the  county  societies 
to  explore  their  limits  very  frequently." 

The  friends  of  this  Biblical  movement  had  certainly  no 
cause  to  regret  the  part  which  they  had  taken  in  it.  For 
the  destitution  was  found  to  be  far  greater,  not  only  than 
strangers,  but  even  than  Christians  residing  in  the  places 
themselves,  suspected.  "  When  our  agents  went  to  some 
counties,"  says  Mr.  Baird,  "  and  told  the  people  their  object, 
they  were  informed  that  the  number  of  tlie  destitute  in  the 
county  was  certainly  small,  and,  indeed,  too  inconsiderable 
to  call  for  such  extraordinary  efforts.  In  one  county  where 
we  were  assured,  by  a  letter  from  one  of  the  best  informed 
men  in  the  county,  that  not  more  tlian  fifty  or  sixty  Bibles 
would  be  needed,  more  than  four  hundred  have  been  distri- 


THE  BIBLE  ZA"  NEW  JEESEY.  47 

buted !  .  .  In  a  single  township  which  lies  within  two  or 
three  miles  of  Princeton,  in  the  Ticiuity  of  wliicli  place 
many  Bibles  had  been  distribnted,  upwards  of  eighty  Bibles 
were  needed.  And  in  another  not  more  than  ten  miles  dis- 
tant, nearly  seventy  families  were  without  the  Bible." 
More  than  seven  tliousand  families  were  discovered,  in  a 
State  whose  population  was  about  three  hundred  thousand 
souls,  entirely  destitute  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  ;  and  in  a 
few  instances  copies  were  given  to  families  in  which  there 
were  persons  that  seemed  to  be  true  Christians,  and  yet 
were  too  poor  to  be  able  to  obtain  even  a  New  Testament. 
It  was  calculated  that  nine  thousand  copies  of  the  Bible 
would  have  been  distributed  before  the  completion  of  the 
work  ;  and  we  believe  that  the  event  showed  them  the  esti- 
mate ought  rather  to  have  been  ten  thousand. 

The  attention  of  the  Christian  public  of  the  entire  Union 
was  early  drawn  to  the  successful  prosecution  of  the  work 
of  the  friends  of  the  Bible  in  New  Jersey.  "  The  efforts  of 
New  Jersey  the  present  year  in  distributing  the  Scriptures," 
says  the  report  of  the  American  Bible  Society  for  1828, 
"  are  doubtless  familiar  to  most  of  the  friends  of  this  so- 
ciety. What  she  has  done  will  long  be  told  as  a  memorial 
of  her.  It  is  sufficient  here  to  say  that  one  of  the  auxilia- 
ries of  this  State,  at  its  last  annual  meeting  in  July  last,  re- 
solved to  supply,  in  co-operation  with  other  auxiliaries, 
every  destitute  family  in  the  State  with  a  copy  of  the  Bible 
within  one  year.  The  auxiliary  referred  to,  is  the  Nassau 
Hall  Bible  Society.  The  work  proposed  seemed  at  first, 
even  to  some  of  our  wisest  and  best  citizens,  who  were 
present  at  the  meeting,  to  be  rash  and  impracticable.  Yet 
wishing  to  have  all  possible  good  accomplished,  the  society 
was  encouraged  to  go  forward  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord. 
....  Most  of  the  societies  throughout  the  State  soon  re- 
solved  to  co-operate,  meetings  were  held,  ministers  preached, 
the  churches  prayed,  and  it  soon  became  evident  that  the 


48  LIFE  OF  JREV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

arm  of  the  Lord  was  with  them,  and  the  work  must  prevail. 
There  is  time  but  to  add,  that  this  noble  undertaking  (ex- 
cept in  one  or  two  towns)  was  completed  before  the  pre- 
scribed year  was  Iialf  expired."  We  may  further  state  that 
the  splendid  example  of  New  Jersey  induced  other  States 
to  make  similar  exertions,  and  even  suggested  the  under- 
taking to  supply  every  destitute  family  throughout  the 
United  States,  with  the  Word  of  God. 

Among  the  most  pleasing  features  of  the  prosecution  of 
this  work  was  the  cordial  co-operation  in  it  of  Christians 
of  all  denominations.  Although  opposition  might  have  been 
apprehended  where  an  enterprise  arose  in  a  Bible  Society 
whose  members  were  so  generally  of  a  single  branch  of  the 
Christian  Church,  it  was  with  devout  acknowledgments  to 
God  that  Mr.  Baird  was  enabled  to  say  that  there  had  been 
manifested  "  great  kindliness  of  feeling  towards  the  object, 
among  all  that  believe  in  the  Bible." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HIS    ORDIXATIOX.      PROJECTED   BIBLE    MISSION   TO    COLOMBIA. 
LABORS     FOR     THE     CAUSE     OF     EDUCATION     IX     COXXEC- 
TIOX   WITH    THE   XEW  JERSEY  MISSIOXARY  SOCIETY.     SUC- 
CESS   IX    EFFORTS    TO    ESTABLISH    THE    PRESEXT    COMMOX 
SCHOOL   SYSTEM   OF    XEW   JERSEY. 

1828-1829. 

AT  New  Brunswick  on  the  22d  of  April,  1828,  Mr.  Baird 
was  set  apart  to  the  Gospel  ministry  as  an  Evangelist. 
How  deeply  his  mind  was  exercised  with  doubts  and  fears, 
in  view  of  the  solemn  nature  of  the  vows  which  he  was 
about  to  take  upon  him,  we  learn  from  a  letter  written  to 
his  wife  on  the  preceding  day :  "  I  have  been  much  dejected 
since  I  came  here.  AYlien  I  look  forward  to  my  ordination 
to-morrow  night,  I  find  my  heart  shrinking  back  from  the 
great  work.  I  never  felt  so  unfit  to  preach  the  Gospel.  I 
am  almost  tempted  to  tell  the  Presbytery  that  they  must 
put  it  off  for  a  while.  Oh,  it  is  a  solemn  thing  to  assume 
the  oflSce  of  preaching  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  !  My  mind 
is  very  dark.  I  have  not  that  clear  evidence  that  I  am 
called  to  this  work,  which  I  desire  to  feel,  nor  indeed  of 
my  being  a  child  of  God.  Oh,  if  I  should  go  forward 
without  the  approbation  of  God,  and  run  without  being 
sent,  how  awful  will  be  my  guilt,  and  how  terrible  my 
condemnation !  May  the  Lord  direct  me.  If  I  know 
my  heart,  I  wisli  to  serve  Him  even  in  the  ministry,  if  it  is 

4  (49) 


50  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

His  will,  unfit  as  I  am.  Pray  for  me  !  oh,  devote  to-morrow 
to  prayer  for  me,  that  I  may  have  the  spirit  of  that  oflSce, 
with  which  I  expect  to  be  invested." 

In  connection  with  the  services  of  his  ordination,  Mr. 
Baird  preached  an  effective  sermon  on  "  Ministerial  Duty 
and  Ministerial  Fidelity,"  from  I.  Thessalonians,  ii :  4 : 
"  But  as  we  were  allowed  of  God  to  be  put  in  trust  with 
the  Gospel,  even  so  we  speak  :  not  as  pleasing  men,  but 
God,  which  trieth  our  hearts."  In  the  conclusion  of  this 
interesting  discourse,  after  describing  the  faithful  minister 
as  one  who  seeks  to  please  God  rather  than  man,  who  uses 
no  flattering  words,  nor  assumes  the  office  of  the  ministry 
for  a  cloak  of  covetousness,  and  who  thirsts  not  for  the 
glory  of  men,  he  makes  an  application  of  his  theme,  not 
only  to  his  hearers,  but  to  himself  also.  Reiterating  the 
sentiments  of  his  letter  to  his  beloved  companion,  he  ex- 
claims :  "  And,  when  I  turn  from  the  contemplation  of  the 
greatness  and  sacredness  of  the  work,  to  that  of  my  great 
unfitness  for  it,  I  am  ready  to  doubt  whether  I  am  called  of 
God  to  this  holy  office.  If  I  know  my  own  heart,  I  desire 
to  serve  God  in  the  Gospel.  But  I  feel  so  little  of  the 
spirit  of  the  Gospel,  so  little  love  to  God,  that  I  often  fear 
lest  I  am  running  without  being  sent.  And  I  would  most 
respectfully  and  earnestly  request  my  fathers  and  brethren 
in  the  ministry,  and  those  dear  children  of  God,  who  are 
now  present,  that  they  would  pray  that  I  may,  with  the  im- 
position of  the  hands  of  the  Presbytery,  receive  the  anoint- 
ing of  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  this  holy  office  ;  that  I  may  enter 
this  work  with  a  heart  dead  to  this  world,  its  pleasures  and 
its  sorrows,  its  smiles  and  its  frowns,  and  alive  to  God,  who 
is  able  to  make,  by  His  gracious  Spirit,  the  feeblest  of 
human  instruments  capable  of  accomplishing  much  good. 
May  this  be  the  case  with  us  all !  To  His  grace  we  com- 
mend ourselves." 

Entering   the  ministry  with  such  exalted  views  of  the 


MISSWJ\^  TO  COLOMBIA. 


51 


sanctity  of  the  obligations  it  involves,  and  with  such  fer- 
vent aspirations,  in  dependence  npon  the  divine  assistance, 
to  become  the  means  of  glorifying  God  and  doing  His  holy 
will,  it  is  not  strange  that  Mr.  Baird  was  enabled  to  dis- 
cover ever  new  paths  of  usefulness,  in  pursuing  which  he 
was  blessed  with  fresh  proofe  of  the  favor  of  Him  whom 
he  attempted  to  serve. 

Mr.  Baird  retained  the  principalship  of  the  Princeton 
Academy  until  the  spring  of  the  year  1828.  For  some 
time  previous  to  this,  he  had  entertained  the  thought  of  re- 
signing that  position  and  entering  more  directly  into  con- 
nection with  some  of  the  great  benevolent  enterprises  of  the 
day,  for  which  his  success  in  the  New  Jersey  Bible  move- 
ment had  shown  him  how  well  he  was  adapted  ;  although 
he  had  given  to  that  work  only  such  time  as  he  could  ob- 
tain in  the  vacations  of  his  school,  or  during  the  hours 
when  he  was  not  employed  in  active  instruction.  He  there- 
fore received  with  favor  the  invitation  which  was  addressed 
to  him  by  the  American  Bible  Society  to  enter  its  service  ; 
and  he  was  actually  commissioned  to  go  out  to  Caracas,  as 
a  special  agent,  in  order  to  superintend  tlie  distribution  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures  in  the  Republic  of  Colombia,  and  else- 
where in  South  America.  It  was  his  intention  to  start  from 
the  United  States  in  the  winter  of  1827 — 8,  and  visit  the 
field  of  his  future  operations  for  the  purpose  of  learning 
what  was  the  prospect  of  success.  After  a  few  months' 
stay,  he  was  to  return  and  take  out  with  him  his  wife  and 
child,  who  were  meanwhile  to  remain  in  Princeton.  For 
the  object  of  securing  as  favorable  a  reception  as  possible, 
Mr.  Baird  was  provided  with  letters  from  many  of  our 
most  distinguished  statesmen.  The  Hon.  Henry  Clay,  at 
that  time  Secretary  of  State,  gave  him  a  general  letter  of 
recommendation,  in  which  he  says  :  "  The  Bearer  hereof, 
the  Reverend  Robert  Baird,  a  citizen  of  the  State  of  New 
Jersey,  one  of  the  United  States  of  America,  being  about 


52  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

to  proceed  to  the  Republic  of  Colombia,  as  an  agent  of  the 
American  Bible  Society,  with  the  view  of  disseminating 
such  parts  of  Holy  Writ  as  may  be  permitted,  but  without 
any  sectarian  object,  I  take  great  pleasure  in  recommending 
him  to  the  kind  and  friendly  treatment  of  all  persons  with 
whom  he  may  meet.  Besides  the  claim  to  such  a  reception, 
which  is  founded  on  the  pious  object  of  his  agency,  Mr. 
Baird  carries  with  him  the  esteem  arid  the  good  wishes  of 
numerous  friends,  and  a  character  of  high  respectability." 
In  a  private  note  of  December  13th,  1827,  which  enclosed 
this  letter,  he  writes  :  "  I  shall  be  gratified  if  you  should 
find  it  of  any  service." 

But  shortly  before  the  time  when  Mr.  Baird  was  to  have 
sailed,  an  event  occurred  that  changed  the  aspect  of  the 
work  in  which  lie  was  to  have  engaged,  and  prevented  him 
fx'om  taking  a  step  that  would  have  given,  in  all  liuman 
probability,  an  entirely  different  bent  to  his  labors,  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  order  to  promote  the  circula- 
tion of  the  Scriptures  in  countries  filled  with  an  exclusively 
Roman  Catholic  population,  it  had  for  many  years  been  the 
practice  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  to  publish 
and  distribute  the  Bible  with  the  apocryphal  books.  In 
this,  the  American  Bible  Society  followed,  for  many  years, 
the  example  of  its  great  prototype,  and  procured  plates  for 
the  Roman  Catholic  Bible  in  Spanish,  for  circulation  in  the 
South  American  Republics.  The  course  thus  adopted  was 
early  looked  upon  with  deep  regret  by  a  large  part  of  the 
friends  of  the  Bil)le  in  Great  Britain  ;  and  at  length,  after  a 
long  and  stormy  discussion,  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society  arrived  at  the  resolution  "  to  distribute  henceforth, 
in  all  languages,  the  sacred  canon  exclusively."  This  de- 
cision was  not  without  weight  in  determining  the  course  of 
the  American  Bible  Society.  Its  managers  deliberated  long 
on  the  lawfulness  of  circulating,  in  connection  with  the  pure 
Word  of  God,  an  uninspired  compilation,  in  whose  favor  no 


THE  MlSSIOy  ABANB OA^'ED.  5  3 

Protestant  could  urge  anything  more  satisfactory,  than  that 
it  would  facilitate  the  introduction  of  the  Sacred  Volume 
into  Roman  Catholic  homes.  At  length  they  decided  to 
adopt  the  step  dictated  by  a  regard  to  Christian  principle, 
irrespective  of  expediency.  "  To  perpetuate  that  harmony 
which  now  so  happily  prevails  among  their  auxiliaries," 
says  the  report  of  1828,  "  and  to  prevent  an  evil  which  has 
shaken  the  miehtv  Societv  of  Enorland  as  with  the  heavinors 
of  an  earthquake,  your  Board  have  with  great  unanimity 
resolved,  that  no  book  containing  the  Apocrypha  shall 
henceforth  be  issued  from  your  depository.  The  plates  of 
the  Spanish  Bible  (the  only  one  containing  this  uncanonical 
accompaniment)  are  therefore  to  be  speedily  altered,  and 
the  inspired  books  alone  to  be  circulated,  as  their  own 
Divine  xVuthor  prepares  the  way." 

Upright  and  consistent  as  this  course  incontestibly  was, 
it  aroused  the  latent  spirit  of  opposition  throughout  Mexico 
and  South  America.  The  clergy,  from  the  bishops  down, 
denounced  the  Bible  which  was  introduced  by  the  English 
and  Americans,  as  a  Protestant  book  ;  and  great  difficulty 
was  at  once  experienced  in  inducing  the  people  to  receive 
the  whole  Bible,  or  even  the  New  Testament.  This  state 
of  things  necessarily  modified  the  action  of  the  American 
Bible  Society  respecting  its  proposed  South  American 
agency.  "  A  special  agent  will  also  be  sent  thither,"  says 
the  document  already  cited,  "  should  the  prospect  of  distri- 
butions justify  a  measure  so  desirable  to  all  the  friends  of 
revealed  truth."  Under  these  circumstances,  Mr.  Baird 
definitely  renounced  the  idea  of  undertaking  a  mission  for 
which  his  preparations  had  been  nearly  completed. 

In  the  spring  of  1828  he  resigned  the  position  which,  for 
over  five  years,  he  had  occupied  as  principal  of  the  Acad- 
emy at  Princeton,  and  entered  the  service  of  the  New  Jersey 
Missionary  Society.  The  circumstances  that  occasioned 
this  change  of  relation  were  the  following  :  The  explora- 


54  LIFE  OF  BEV.  DR.  BAIBD. 

tion  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey  undertaken  with  the  view 
of  supplying  all  the  destitute  with  the  Word  of  God,  be- 
sides its  direct  bearing  upon  the  excellent  end  contemplated, 
proved  to  be  of  much  incidental  service,  by  revealing  the 
^reat  amount  of  ignorance  that  was  prevalent  in  various 
districts.  The  executive  committee  of  the  Bible  Society 
had,  as  we  have  seen,  directed  its  agents  to  collect  informa- 
tion on  a  number  of  important  points,  several  of  which  had 
a  reference  to  the  condition  of  education  within  the  limits 
of  the  State.  It  is  true  that  these  instructions  were  strictly 
followed  by  comparatively  few.  The  time  of  their  service 
was  limited.  It  was  feared  that  if  the  young  men  allowed 
theuLselves  to  be  detained  while  making  the  proposed  in- 
quiries, the  success  of  the  main  project  within  the  time 
allotted  to  it,  might  be  placed  in  jeopardy.  Indeed,  the 
managers  of  some  of  the  auxiliary  societies  expressly  advbed 
them  to  neglect  this  important  part  of  the  work.  Yet  the 
results  of  the  partial  reports  returned  were  such  as  to  make 
a  deep  impression  upon  the  reflecting.  For  instance,  it 
mav  be  mentioned  that  Warren  countv  alone  was  found  to 
contain  over  eleven  hundred  pei^ons  above  fifteen  years  of 
age  that  could  not  read,  while  in  Monmouth  county  there 
were  about  three  thousand  persons  equally  ignorant.  And 
the  proportion  of  children  deprived  of  all  opportunities  for 
obtaining  instruction,  either  through  the  neglect  of  their 
parents  or  the  insufficient  number  of  schools,  was  equally 
alarming. 

It  was  in  view  of  these  discoveries  that  the  Rev.  Job  F. 
Halsey,  already  mentioned  as  the  gentleman  who  first  sug- 
gested the  propriety  of  making  an  attempt  to  supply  all  the 
destitute  families  in  New  Jersey  with  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
at  a  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  Princeton,  on  the  13th  of 
December.  1827,  suggested  and  advocated  the  adoption  of 
measures  to  supply  the  destitute  parts  of  Xcw  Jersey  with 
preaching  and  with  common  school  instruction.  At  this 
meeting  these  resolutions  were  adopted  : 


THE  GOSPEL  AND  EDUCATION. 


55 


"  1.  Resolved,  That  in  reliance  on  Divine  aid,  and  with 
the  co-operation  of  other  friends  of  knowledge  and  religion, 
we  will  use  our  utmost  efforts  to  assist  in  raising,  within 
two  years  from  this  date,  the  sum  oi  forty  thousand  dollars 
for  the  support  of  missionaries  and  the  establishment  of 
schools  in  destitute  parts  of  the  State. 

"  2.  Resolved,  That  the  funds  so  raised  shall  be  placed 
under  the  control  of  the  Domestic  Missionary  Society  of 
New  Jersey,  on  condition  that  the  said  society  will  appro- 
priate these  funds  to  the  purposes  specified. 

'•  At  this  same  meeting  a  committee  was  appointed, 
charged  with  the  execution  of  this  enterprise.  As  soon  as 
practicable,  the  committee  gave  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
the  New  Jersey  Missionary  Society  official  information  of 
their  appointment,  and  of  the  steps  taken  by  the  committee 
in  the  prosecution  of  the  business  assigned  to  them.  By  a 
unanimous  vote  of  the  directors,  the  above  resolutions  were 
approved ;  and  the  committee  were  requested  to  continue 
their  superintendence  of  the  efforts  to  raise  the  contemplated 
sum  of  840,000,  and  to  assume  the  name  of  the  '  Correspond- 
ing Committee  of  the  New  Jersey  Missionary  Society.'  At 
a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  managers,  the  entire -disposal 
of  the  funds  was  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  committee. 

"  The  committee  commissioned  the  Rev.  Job  F.  Halsey 
and  the  Rev.  William  H.  Cox,  then,  or  recently,  a  member 
of  the  Seminary,  to  visit  the  Presbyterian  churches  in  New 
Jersey,  to  solicit  funds,  and  to  make  known  to  the  churches 
the  views  and  plans  of  the  committee.  At  the  same  time, 
tlie  Rev.  Robert  Baird  was  appointed  to  visit  the  different 
parts  of  the  State  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  the  best  sta- 
tions for  the  establishment  of  schools  ;  to  interest  persons 
residirg  in  the  vicinity  of  such  stations  in  support  of  the 
schools,  and,  as  far  as  practicable,  to  awaken  the  attention 
of  the  community  at  large  to  the  importance  of  a  general 
diffusion  of  knowledge  among  the  people. 


56  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIIW. 

"  As  a  sufficient  number  of  competent  teachers  could  not 
at  once  be  obtained,  it  became  a  part  of  Mr.  Baird's  duty 
to  select  suitable  young  men  who  were  willing  to  devote 
themselves  to  teaching,  and  to  place  tliem,  with  the  approval 
of  the  committee,  under  the  care  of  competent  instructors  ; 
that  they  miglit  be  prepared  to  take  charge  of  the  schools 
under  the  patronage  of  the  committee.  The  whole  number 
of  persons  thus  selected  and  taught  was  twenty-one  ;  all  of 
them  members  of  the  Presbyterian,  Baptist  or  Methodist 
Church.  The  average  number  of  scholars  in  the  schools 
under  the  care  of  the  committee  was  about  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  ;  and  the  number  of  Sabbath-school  scholars  about 
the  same.  These  cliildren  were  all  under  the  care  of  teach- 
ers hopefully  pious.  There  were  twenty-eight  schools  in 
all,  and  the  wliole  number  of  teachers  in  the  service  of  the 
committee  was  thirty-three.""^ 

In  prosecuting  these  labors,  Mr.  Baird  was  called  on  to 
traverse  the  State  from  one  extremitv  to  the  other.  The 
frequency  and  the  extent  of  these  tours,  as  briefly  set  forth 
in  his  familiar  letters,  are  truly  astonishing.  Throwing 
himself,  as  was  his  wont,  wltli  all  his  soul  into  the  benevo- 
lent undertaking  in  which  he  was  engaged,  and  seeming  to 
live  for  it  alone,  he  disregarded  all  considerations  of  per- 
sonal ease  and  comfort.  It  was  this  absorption  of  all  his 
faculties  in  the  one  end  in  view,  with  the  energy  that  was 
its  inseparable  concomitant,  that  constituted  one  great 
secret  of  the  remarkable  success  that  attended  all  the  move- 
ments in  which  he  took  a  leading  part.  The  consideration 
of  the  means  to  attain  the  object  was  continually  present  to 
his  mind,  and  no  opportunity  was  suffered  to  pass  by  unim- 

*  We  are  indebted  fur  the  valuable  information  we  have  g-iven  respecting 
the  orii^in  of  this  enterprise  to  an  interesting  letter  written  to  the  author 
of  this  biography  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Maclean,  President  of  the  College  of  New 
Jersey,  who  speaks  of  the  effort  as  one  "  in  which  your  father  had  a  promi- 
nent, and  I  may  say  the  principal  share." 


OPPOSITIONS. 


S7 


proved.  No  man  could  have  been  more  engrossed  in  build- 
ing up  his  own  fortunes  tlian  ^Ir.  Baird  was  in  advancing 
the  interests  of  these  benevolent  enterprises.  No  one  had 
a  more  exalted  conception  of  the  demands  of  Christian 
fidelity.  But  above  all,  his  heart  glowed,  as  all  his  words 
and  actions  demonstrated,  with  unextinguishable  love  for 
the  cause  of  his  Saviour  ;  and  he  undertook  no  enterprise 
durino:  the  varied  course  of  his  life  that  had  not  a  bearinsr, 
very  distinctly  marked  to  his  eye,  upon  its  progress.  Con- 
sequently, his  letters  to  his  most  intimate  friends  are 
tinged  with  alternate  feelings  of  joy  and  sadness,  as  the 
work  of  tlie  Lord  committed  to  him  appeared  hopeful  or 
otherwise. 

Mr.  Baird  and  his  fellow  laborers  in  this  good  under- 
taking met  with  the  most  encouraging  success.  At  Cape 
May  between  seven  and  eight  hundred  dollars  were  sub- 
scribed, at  Fairfield  five  hundred,  at  Monmouth  over  one 
thousand,  and  in  Bridgeton  fully  that  amount.  Yet  there 
were  not  wanting  difficulties.  Some  members  of  other 
denominations  misunderstood  the  nature  and  objects  of  the 
society,  and  consequently  attributed  to  it,  with  too  great 
readiness,  some  covert  designs.  To  one  of  these  accusa- 
tions, Mr.  Baird  refers  in  a  letter  from  Bridgeton,  June  25, 
1828  :  "I  find  that  at  a  camp-meeting  which  has  just  been 
held  about  two  miles  from  this  place,  Mr.  P ,  the  pre- 
siding elder,  abused  our  forty-thousand  dollar  business  very 
much,  and  represented  the  whole  work  as  a  Presbyterian 

scheme  to  injure  the  Methodists.     He  said  that  Mr.  H 

had  said  in  some  of  his  speeches  that  the  object  of  raising 
this  money  was  to  convert  tlie  '  Methodist  heathen '  in  New 
Jersey.  What  effect  this  will  have  upon  our  operations  I 
do  not  know,  but  trust  that  it  will  not  be  so  injurious  as 
might  be  apprehended.  We  shall  meet  witli  opposition 
enough.  But  I  hope  the  Lord  will  give  us  wisdom  to  walk 
correctly,  and  that  He  will  pour  out  upon  all  His  children 


58  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

a  spirit  of  love  and  zeal  for  His  glory  and  not  their  o-wn 

petty  interests." 

A  providential  incident  occurred,  wliicli  altliougli  at  first 

sight  unfortunate,  tended  greatly  to  remove  this  unliappy 

misunderstanding  between  brethren,  who  at  heart  were  one 

in  the  Lord  Jesus.     We  cannot  better  relate  it  than  in  the 

words  of  a  letter,  which,  at  the  same  time,  may  serve  as  a 

specimen  of  the  record  of  the  unremitting  labors  of  the 

year  : 

"Batsto, /wZy  30,  1828. 

"  The  evening  I  left  you  I  went  to  IVIr.  Woodhull's,  and  on 

the  next  day,  which  was  rainy,  sis  miles  to  Dr.  Gilbert  TVoodhuirs, 
and  stayed  with  Mr.  Xorton.  On  Wednesday  I  went  to  the  Couit 
House,  and  held  a  meeting  on  the  subject  of  Common  Schools,  and 
stayed  that  night  at  Mr.  Scudder's,  and  was  much  miwell.  I  dis- 
tributed that  evening,  sick  as  I  was,  sixty  or  seventy  copies  of  Kit- 
redge's  Addi'ess  among  the  people  who  were  at  the  court.  On  Thurs- 
day I  went  down  to  Squankum,  Butcher's  Wort  and  Toms  River, 
On  Friday  I  went  down  [the  coast]  to  Cedar  Creek,  and  stopped  a 
while  at  the  camp-meeting  which  had  begun  the  day  before.  Just 
as  I  was  ready  to  leave  the  ground,  some  men  frightened  my  horse, 
which  had  rubbed  its  bridle  off,  and  it  ran  and  broke  the  sulky 
almost  to  pieces,  and  excited  the  greatest  alarm  among  the  people. 
I  had  then  to  go  back  two  miles  and  have  the  sulky  repaked,  which 

compelled  me  to  stay  until  Monday  at  four  o'clock I  believe 

that  the  Lord  ordered  it  all  for  good,  although  it  is  a  little  pecuniary 
loss.  The  Methodists  were  very  kind,  and  insisted  upon  my  staying 
with  them.  Indeed,  I  never  met  with  so  much  kindness  in  my  life 
before.  I  stayed  much  of  the  time  with  them,  and  preached  for  them 
on  the  Sabbath,  and  became  acquainted  with  their  ministers,  and 

particularly  with  Mr.  P ,  the  presiding  elder,  and  I  hope  that  I 

removed  many  prejudices.  I  do  believe  that  it  was  a  most  provi- 
dential circumstance  that  detained  me  there  ;  and  I  cannot  but  be- 
lieve that  throughout  eternity  God  will  be  praised  for  it.  Perhaps 
some  poor  sinner  has  been  called  into  the  kingdom  by  my  labors 
there  ;  if  so  that  will  more  than  counterbalance  our  loss." 

It  was  while  thus  delayed  at  Cedar  Creek  that  a  conver- 
sation "was  held,  which  he  more  than  once  repeated  in  after 


4.Y  IXSi:S'CERE  IXQUIRER,  59 

years,  to  illustrate  the  nature  of  the  causes  that  hinder  men 
from  entering  the  service  of  God.     The  inn  being  crowded, 
the  landlord  could  not  accommodate  him  with  a  separate 
room  or  bed.     The  person  into  whose  company  Mr.  Baird 
was  thus  casually  thrown,  was  a  man  of  middle  age,  who, 
when  his  roommate,  as  was  his  wont,  led  the  conversation 
to  the  subject  of  religion,  evinced  no  reluctance  to  its  con- 
sideration.    He  stated  that  he  entertained  a' deep  concern 
for  his  soul,  and  that  he  had  given  long  and  anxious  thought 
to  the  truths  of  revelation.     He  even  asserted  that  he  had 
prayed  with  earnestness  to  the  Lord  to  reveal  to  him  his 
duty  and  to  bring  him  to  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the 
truth  ;  but,  although  this  had  been  his  practice  for  years, 
his  prayers  had  never  been  answered.    Mr.  Baird  respond :d 
by  expressing  his  surprise  to  hear  such  a  statement ;  for  he 
was  sure  that  God  never  neglected  the  prayer  of  any  poor 
sinner  for  light,  guidance  and  renewal,  when  offered  in  the 
sincerity  of  his  heart.     He  then  solemnly  asked  his  com- 
panion whether  there  was  nothing  in  his  occupation  or  in 
his  mode  of  life  which  he  knew  to  be  sinful.     But  the  man 
strenuously  denied  that  there  was,  and  persisted  in  his  asser- 
tion that  he  had  done  everything  that  he  could  to  obtain 
the  Christian's  portion,  but  that  his  prayers  and  exertions 
had  all  proved  unavailing.     After  a  faithful  conversation, 
and  after  warning  him  of  the  danger  of  neglecting  the  great 
salvation,  Mr.  Baird  retired  to  rest.     But  on  the  folloAvinsr 
morning  his  curiosity  impelled  him  to  inquire  of  the  land- 
lord respecting  this  man  who  maintained  that  if  he  vvas  i.ot 
p.  Christian  it  was  no  fault  of  his.     The  reply  whi  ch  he  ob- 
tained was  that  he  was  notoriously  a  bad  man,  that  he  was 
of  corrupt  life  and  manners,  and  that  no  man  in  that  vicinity 
had  been  instrumental  in  causing  the  ruin  of  so  many  young 
men.    The  cause  of  the  refusal  of  God  to  answer  the  prayers 
of  such  a  man,  if  indeed  his  professions  were  wortliy  of  any 
credit  at  all,  was  evident  enough.     "  If  I  regard  iniquity  in 


6o  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

my  heart,  the  Lord  will  not  hear  me,"  said  the  Psalmist. 
"  We  know  that  God  heareth  not  sinners  :  but  if  any  man 
be  a  worshipper  of  God,  and  doeth  His  will,  him  He  licar- 
eth  ;" — this  is  the  language  not  alone  of  the  blind  man  that 
had  been  healed  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  but  of  every  candid  and 
thoughtful  mind. 

"  It  was  while  engaged  in  this  Avork,"  writes  President 
Maclean  in  the  letter  from  which  we  have  already  made 
quotations,  "  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Baird  awakened  the  attention 
of  the  people  of  this  State  to  the  great  importance  of  estab- 
lishing, without  further  delay,  an  efficient  system  of  common 
school  instruction.  For  although  others  took  part  in  this 
work,  and  rendered  important  service  in  it,  yet  I  think  it 
will  be  conceded  by  all  familiar  with  the  history  of  our 
common  schools  in  New  Jersey,  that  Mr.  Baird's  labors 
were  the  most  efficient  in  directing  the  public  attention  to 
this  subject ;  and  in  inducing  the  Legislature  to  pass  tlie 
requisite  laws  for  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  a 
system  of  common  schools." 

Convinced  that  private  enterprise,  or  even  a  combined 
movement  of  large  numbers  in  the  community,  could  accom- 
plish little  of  what  was  imperatively  demanded  by  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  case,  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion,  after 
some  months  of  labor  in  the  service  of  the  Missionary  So- 
ciety, that  the  flood  of  ignorance  could  be  successfully  stem- 
med only  by  the  prompt  and  decisive  action  of  the  Legisla- 
ture. But  the  Legislature  must  be  urged  on  by  the  force 
of  an  enlightened  public  sentiment.  He  resolved  therefore 
to  resort  to  the  press,  and  by  a  calm  and  temperate  survey 
of  the  entire  subject,  to  point  out  the  course  that  must  be 
adopted  in  order  to  renovate  the  intellectual  condition  of 
the  masses.  For  this  purpose  he  wrote,  on  the  l3th  of 
August,  1828,  the  first  of  a  series  of  sliort  essays  on  Educa- 
tion, which  he  addressed  "To  the  People  of  New  Jersey." 
These  communications  Avere  couched  in  a  plain  and  unpre- 


EDUCATION  IN  NEW  JERSEY.  6\ 

tending  style,  adapting  themselves  to  tlie  comprehension  of 
every  sensible  man  ;  bnt  they  were  at  the  same  time  earnest, 
thorough  in  their  treatment  of  the  subject,  and  eminently 
practical.  That  they  met  a  recognized  want,  is  proved  by 
the  fact  that  they  were  speedily  reproduced  in  all  the  prin. 
cipal  newspapers  of  the  State,  and  made  an  unmistakable 
impression  in  favor  of  the  measures  proposed.  In  view  of 
their  importance,  we  must  be  permitted  to  give  a  slight 
sketch  of  their  contents.  The  first  four  essays  treated  of 
the  general  subject  of  Education,  its  importance  both  to 
rich  and  poor,  to  the  community  at  large  as  well  as  to  indi- 
viduals. The  necessary  qualifications  of  the  teacher,  espe- 
cially of  the  instructor  in  schools  designed  for  the  elemen- 
tar}^  education  of  the  great  majority  of  the  population,  were 
nest  briefly  discussed.  A  distinct  article  is  consecrated  to 
tlie  consideration  of  the  moral  character  and  traits  of  the 
teacher  who  would  properly  conduct  the  moral  culture  of 
the  youthful  mind.  This  examination  was  regarded  as 
being  more  important,  in  view  of  the  large  number  of  teach- 
ers in  the  common  schools,  particularly  in  some  of  the  east- 
ern counties,  who  were  reported  to  be  men  incapable  of 
obtaining  the  respect  of  the  community,  from  the  barrenness 
of  their  acquirements,  and,  what  was  much  worse,  highly 
injurious  to  their  pupils,  from  the  examples  of  coarseness, 
profanity  and  Sabbath -breaking  which  they  displayed. 
Many  of  the  teachers  were  known  to  be  habitual  drunk- 
ards ;  one  had  recently  fled  from  the  State  to  avoid  punish- 
ment for  attempting  the  virtue  of  some  of  his  female  schol- 
ars ;  and  another  had,  not  long  since,  been  executed  for  the 
crime  of  murder.  In  the  fifth  and  sixth  communications, 
the  results  of  the  inquiries  into  the  state  of  education  made 
during  the  recent  Bible  effort,  were  recapitulated,  and  some 
reasons  assigned  for  their  unfavorable  character.  The  most 
prominent  cause  of  the  existence  of  so  large  a  proportion  of 
ignorant  adults  and  untrained  children  was  traced  to  the 


62  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

neglect  of  the  Lcg-islature  to  adopt  any  comprcliensive  sys- 
tem of  education,  and  its  confiding  the  whole  care  of  public 
instruction  to  ignorant  or  parsimonious  local  scliool  com- 
mittees. Next,  the  writer  attempts  to  point  out  a  feasible 
plan,  which,  if  adopted  by  the  Legislature,  would  at  once 
secure  to  the  State  an  adequate  system,  rivaling  that  re- 
cently introduced  into  successful  operation  in  the  neighbor- 
ing commonwealth  of  New  York.  The  general  features  of 
that  plan  were  these.  The  Legislature  had,  "  during  the 
preceding  ten  or  twelve  years,  acquired  for  the  State  a  very 
considerable  school  fund  ;  with  commendable  zeal,  embrac- 
ing every  opportunity  that  occurred,  of  increasing  this  fund 
without  imposing  a  burden  upon  the  people."  This  fund 
now  amounted  to  $223,000,  and  its  interest  produced  about 
$11,000  annually.  Nearly  $11,000  were  yearly  added  to 
the  fund,  as  the  avails  of  tlie  Bank-tax  of  the  State.  It  was 
evident,  therefore,  that  twenty  thousand  dollars  could  be  ex- 
pended in  promoting  education  without  touching  the  princi- 
pal of  the  fund  ;  indeed,  about  $2,000  would  remain  to  aug- 
ment it.  It  was  proposed  that  this  sum  of  $20,000  should 
be  distributed  by  tlie  State  Treasurer,  who  might  be  also 
appointed  "  Superintendenj;  of  Common  Schools,"  to  the  sev- 
eral counties,  allotting  a  portion  to  each  according  to  its 
population,  or  to  the  number  of  children  between  the  ages 
of  five  and  sixteen,  as  was  the  case  in  New  York.  Then 
let  the  proper  committee  of  each  township  be  required  to 
raise  by  means  of  the  ordinary  system  of  tax-levy,  a  sum 
not  less  than  twice  as  large  as  that  which  was  received  from 
the  State  as  the  share  of  the  township  ;  or  let  the  payment 
on  the  part  of  the  State  be  contingent  upon  the  decision  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  town  to  raise  the  sum  above  men- 
tioned. This  general  plan,  it  was  urged,  would  secure  the 
appropriation  of  at  least  sixty  thousand  dollars,  an  amount 
quite  sufficient  for  present  purposes.  Meanwhile  the  Legis- 
lature, by  permitting  the  school  fund  to  receive  the  benefit 


CORRESPOXDEXGE.  63 

of  minor  sources  of  income,  such  as  tlie  revenue  derived 
from  oyster-beds,  etc.,  could  readily  add  a  considerable  sum 
to  the  capital. 

In  the  remaining  twelve  essays,  a  survey  is  taken  of  the 
common  school  systems  of  every  other  State  in  the  Union 
which  possessed  one,  as  well  as  of  the  provision  made  for 
popular  instruction  in  Europe  and  South  xVmerica.  Mr. 
Baird  had  addressed  letters  of  inquiry  to  a  large  number  of 
prominent  friends  of  education,  who  in  reply  gave  interest- 
ing statements  respecting  this  subject.  These  letters  are 
inserted.  They  are  from  Hon.  A.  C.  Flagg,  Hon.  Roger 
M.  Sherman,  Rev.  Francis  Wayland,  Jr.,  Governor  Ezra 
Butler,  Rev.  Dr.  Humphrey,  President  of  Amherst  College, 
Governor  John  Bell  and  Hon.  John  Holmes  :  and  describe 
tlie  systems  adopted  in  New  York,  Connecticut,  Rhode 
Island,  Vermont,  Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire  and 
Maine.  The  letters  of  the  gentlemen,  all  men  of  great 
respectability  and  worth,  and  some  of  them  holding  high 
official  positions,  were  admirably  adapted  to  further  the 
benevolent  ends  which  Mr.  Baird  had  in  view. 

The  publication  of  these  essays,  which  were  so  widely 
disseminated  and  read,  made  a  far  deeper  impression  in 
favor  of  the  immediate  establishment  of  a  thorough  system 
of  common  schools  in  New  Jersey,  than  the  author's  most 
sanguine  expectations  could  have  led  him  to  anticipate.  It 
is  true,  objections  were  raised  against  the  plan  he  sug- 
gested ;  but  this  rather  proved  the  interest  with  which  the 
people  had  been  induced  to  consider  the  cjuestion.  It  was 
urged  that  the  school  fund  was  not  large  enough  ;  that  it 
ought  to  be  allowed  to  accumulate,  until  it  amounted  to 
one  or  two  millions  of  dollars,  before  any  of  the  interest 
was  used  ;  that  twenty  thousand  dollars  would  be  inade- 
quate for  the  ends  which  it  was  intended  to  accomplish  ; 
that  the  tax  would  be  unpopular  ;  that  the  system  was  de- 
signed to  benefit  the  poor  alone  ;  and  even  that  it  was  sec- 


6^.  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

tarian — having  as  its  object  to  aggrandize  one  denomination 
of  Christians  !  All  these  objections  were  answered  in  the 
course  of  these  essays,  although  the  writer  adds  in  conclu- 
sion, "  we  have  not  heard  them  mentioned  by  twenty  men 
in  the  State."  In  reference  to  the  accusation  that  the  scope 
of  the  enterprise  was  sectarian,  he  says  :  "  But  will  any 
Christian  hold  back  because  he  beholds  another,  of  a  per- 
suasion or  denomination  different  from  his  own  in  some 
unessential  points,  active  in  the  cause?  No  ;  we  are  confi- 
dent that  this  will  not  be  the  case.  Otherwise  we  shall 
have  to  wait  until  men  who  are  not  Christians  at  all  first 
lead  tlie  way  in  good  enterprises  ;  which  we  do  not  think 
will  soon  come  to  pass.  But  our  Legislature  has  taken 
up  this  whole  subject,  and  will  legislate  upon  it  in  such  a 
way,  we  trust,  as  will  be  beneficial  to  the  whole  State,  and 
not  to  any  denomination,  sect,  or  party,  exclusively."  That 
feature  in  the  system  which  would  require  the  imposition 
of  a  tax  upon  the  counties,  he  regarded  as  highly  important 
to  its  success.  "  Only  require  all,"  he  said,  "  to  pay  a  tax 
for  the  support  of  schools,  and  you  will  see  the  rich  man^ 
whose  tax  is  increased  by  the  operation  of  the  act  hco  or 
three  dollars,  and  the  poor  man  who  has  to  pay  twenty  cents 
more  than  usual  every  year,  take  a  prodigious  interest  in 
the  subject.  They  will  botli  fasten  an  eagle-eyed  supervi- 
sion upon  the  trustees  of  their  school  districts  and  the  school 
committee  of  their  township.  They  will  both  determine  to 
have  the  wortli  of  their  money.  The  poor  man  will  even  send 
all  the  children  he  has  got  before  he  will  be  cheated  out  of 
his  twenty  cents  !  Depend  upon  it,  tlierc  is  nothing  about 
mankind  so  tender,  so  acutely  sensitive,  as  their  purses." 

But  he  did  not  confine  his  exertions  to  the  press,  impor- 
tant as  that  instrument  must  be  deemed.  He  traveled  over" 
the  entire  State,  holding  public  meetings  at  which  the  sub- 
ject of  common  schools  was  discussed  at  length,  and  the 
eyes  of  the  people  opened  to  the  importance  of  at  once  ini- 


HOPES  AND  FEARS.  6s 

tiating  some  comprehensive  system,  which  would  no  longer 
permit  considerations  of  expense  to  interfere  with  a  liberal 
provision  for  the  instruction  of  the  young.  Such  meetings 
he  caused  to  be  held  at  Newton,  Morristown,  and  many 
other  places,  to  which  his  private  correspondence  alludes. 
When  the  Legislature  convened  at  Trenton,  Mr.  Baird  em^ 
ployed  all  the  personal  influence  he  possessed  to  insure  the 
subject  a  fair  consideration.  "  I  spend  my  time,"  he  wrote 
in  January,  1829,  "in  seeing  the  members  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  conversing  with  them  on  the  subject  of  education. 
I  think  that  if  a  suitable  system  can  be  devised,  it  will  suc- 
ceed. There  appears  to  be  a  general  feeling  in  favor  of  it." 
Two  weeks  later,  while  expressing  his  great  disappointment 
at  being  detained  from  home,  he  writes  :  "  I  am  in  hopes 
that  everything  will  yet  go  right,  but  things  are  in  a  criti- 
cal state  as  regards  our  school  system."  A  few  days  after- 
ward he  sends  the  gratifying  intelligence  that  "  the  bill  has 
just  been  passed  in  the  lower  house.  How  it  will  succeed 
in  the  upper,  or  Council,  I  am  not  certain,  but  tliink  it  will 
pass."  The  enterprise,  however,  was  not  destined  to  be 
spared  those  fluctuations  which  almost  every  such  undertak- 
ing must  encounter.  Sad,  yet  resigned  to  the  will  of  God, 
whatever  it  miglit  be,  he  writes  the  next  week  :  "  I  fear 
that  our  school  bill  will,  after  all,  fail  in  the  Council.  If 
so,  I  shall  regret  it  much.  But  the  Lord  reigneth,  and  He 
will  order  all  things  so  that  ultimately  great  glory  will 
redound  to  His  name.  Oh,  for  more  holiness  and  sincere 
devotedness  to  His  cause ! "  Another  week  passed  ;  and 
the  prospect  appeared  still  more  dark  and  unpromising. 
"  I  fear  that  all  my  efforts  to  get  a  system  of  common 
schools  established  during  this  session  of  the  Legislature 
will  be  fruitless.  I  feel  often  much  dejected  when  I  think 
of  this  ;  but  the  Lord  will  be  glorified  at  last,  and  all  things 
will  work  out  right  in  the  end." 
These  gloomy  forebodings  were  not  to  be  fulfilled.  The 
5 


66  LIFE  OF  EEV.  DB.  BAIRD. 

consummation  for  which  Mr.  Baircl  and  other  friends  of  the 
cause  had  so  ardently  prayed  and  labored,  was  attained 
when  the  Council  passed  the  bill  establishing  a  common 
school  system,  in  almost  all  respects  identical  with  that 
which  he  had  proposed  and  advocated  in  the  twenty  letters 
on  Education,  written  during  the  previous  summer  and  au- 
tumn. What  an  intelligent  observer  could  prognosticate 
with  regard  to  its  beneficial  effects,  can  be  judged  from  a 
passage  in  a  letter  of  the  Rev.  James  W.  Alexander,  D.  D., 
then  pastor  in  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  dated  March  2,  1829  : 
"  The  school  system  lately  adopted  by  our  Legislature 
promises  more  for  the  good  of  Xew  Jersey  than  anything 
which  has  been  known  for  a  long  time  in  our  State.  It 
owes  it  passage  to  the  zeal  and  labor  of  a  single  man,  Rev. 
Robert  Baird,  who  has  been  keeping  the  subject  before  the 
minds  of  the  people,  in  newspaper  essays  for  some  months. 
If  we  aspire  to  Ksefahiess,  I  know  no  way  in  which  we  can 
promise  ourselves  so  much  real  success,  though  without 
noise  ov  eclat J^^  But  the  wisdom  of  the  measure  is  still 
more  clearly  proved  by  the  results  of  its  working  after  the 
lapse  of  thirty  years.  In  1858  the  annual  appropriation  to 
schools  on  the  part  of  the  State,  had  risen  to  over  $86,000, 
while  more  tlian  ^338,000  was  raised  by  special  tax  ;  thus 
confirming  the  prediction  of  Mr.  Baird,  tliat  a  sum  given 
by  the  State  would  be  much  more  than  doubled  by  that 
wliich  the  ambition  of  the  people  would  prompt  them  to 
contribute  to  tlie  support  of  suitable  schools.  The  school 
fund,  far  from  being  stunted  in  its  growth,  as  the  opponents 
of  the  law  of  1829  suggested,  had  more  than  doubled.  And 
what  was  still  more  gratifying,  the  number  of  ignorant 
adults  had  increased  but  slightly — and  had  probably  de- 
creased if  persons  of  foreign  birth  were  left  out  of  the 

•  Forty  Years'  Familiar  Letters  of  James  "W.  Alexander,  D.  D. ;  edited 
by  Rev.  John  Hall,  D.  D.     Vol.  i.  pp.  123-4. 


CHEEPdNG  RESULTS.  Sj 

« 

account — while  the  population  of  the  State  had  risen  from 
about  300,000  to  675,000  in  1860. 

Xone  of  the  private  letters  of  Mr.  Baird  which  we  have 
seen,  allude  to  the  success  which  had  crowned  the  great 
undertaking.  This  is  probably  owing  to  the  fact  that  after 
his  long  and  frequent  detentions  at  Trenton  in  urging  the 
passage  of  the  bill,  he  brought  home  himself  the  glad  news 
that  his  labors  in  the  service  of  popular  education  had  not 
been  in  vain.  And  his  heart  impelled  him  to  undertake 
fresh  enterprises  and  devote  his  energies  to  their  accom- 
plishment, when  they  promised  to  conduce  to  the  advance 
of  Christ's  kingdom  and  the  improvement  of  the  condition 
of  his  fellow  men.  It  was  his  natural  disposition,  corrob- 
orated bv  his  habits  of  industrv,  to  forofet  the  thinofs  that 
were  behind,  and  to  press  forward  to  enter  new  fields  of 
Christian  and  philanthropic  usefulness. 

He  did  not  fail,  however,  to  retain  his  interest  in  the 
cause  to  whose  advancement  he  had  consecrated  so  much 
of  his  time  and  labor.  Shortly  after  the  system  of  common 
school  education  became  established,  he  wrote  three  more 
essays,  under  the  title  of  '•  Remarks  on  the  '  Act  to  establish 
Common  Schools,^  recently  passed  by  the  Legislature  of 
New  Jersey."  In  these  articles  he  endeavored  not  only  to 
explain  the  working  of  the  several  sections  of  the  law,  but 
to  suggest  some  improvements  that  might  be  made,  in  the 
course  of  time. 


CHAPTER  YII. 

LABOES  IN  BEHALF  OF  THE  AMERICAN  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  UNION. 
LITERARY  CONTRIBUTIONS.  HIS  "  VIEW  OF  THE  VALLEY  OP 
THE  MISSISSIPPI,*'  AND  "  LIFE  OF  ANNA  JANE  LINNARD." 

1829—1834. 

IX  the  spring  of  the  year  1829,  Mr.  Baird  received  and 
accepted  the  appointment  of  General  Agent  of  the 
American  Sunday-school  Union.  He  had  for  some  months 
received  intimations  that  this  position  would  be  offered  him, 
and  he  had  given  the  subject  a  prayerful  consideration. 
The  great  interest  which  he  felt  in  the  religious  instruction 
of  the  youth  of  our  country,  and  the  conviction  that  far 
more  ought  to  be  done  than  had  as  yet  been  attempted,  to 
rescue  the  rising  generation  from  the  cui^se  of  ignorance,  or 
of  a  positively  unchristian  education,  especially  in  the  new 
states  of  the  West,  determined  him  to  assume  what  he  could 
not  but  regard  as  certain  to  be  a  laborious  and  highly  re- 
sponsible post. 

In  his  official  capacity  it  was  a  part  of  liis  duty  to  employ 
all  his  ener cries  in  endeavoring  to  awaken  a  s-reater  interest 
in  the  noble  work  of  the  Sunday  School,  and  incite  to  a 
more  liberal  support  of  the  Sunday-scliool  Union.  The 
task  was  an  engrossing  one,  and  it  entailed  the  necessity 
of  far  more  frequent  and  protracted  absences  from  home 
than  had  been  found  requisite  in  the  prosecution  of  the 
schemes  in  which  he  had  hitherto  been  engaged.  As  an 
evidence  of  his  succass,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  "  at  the 
time  when  he  entered  on  his  duties,  the  revenue  of  the  so- 

(68) 


SUNDAY  SCHOOLS  IX  THE  WEST,  69 

ciety  was  about  85,000  ;  and  it  employed  five  or  six  labor- 
ers. When  lie  retired  from  it  in  1835,  its  revenue  was 
$28,000,  and  it  employed  fifty  laborers." 

In  prosecuting  this  enterprise  he  had  free  scope  for  the 
exercise  of  his  constitutional  energy  and  vigor,  and  for  his 
talent  for  organizing  by  the  selection  of  the  best  means  for 
the  accomplishment  of  the  objects  in  view.  In  all  the  chief 
cities  of  the  United  States  he  readily  saw  that  much  could 
be  done  to  enlist  the  sympathies  of  the  Christian  community, 
by  holding  large  meetings  in  the  most  capacious  churches 
or  public  halls,  at  which  the  wants  of  the  destitute  and  the 
great  responsibility  devolving  upon  the  Church  could  be 
set  forth  by  prominent  clergymen  and  laymen,  who  from 
their  well-known  character  and  abilities  would  be  heard 
with  attention  by  the  audience.  This  plan  was  at  once 
put  into  operation,  and  its  results  must  have  been  far  more 
successful  than  even  the  most  sanguine  advocate  could  have 
anticipated.  The  experiment  was  first  tried  in  the  great 
centres  of  influence  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard — in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Boston  and  Baltimore,  as  well  as  in  Pittsburg, 
and  other  important  cities  of  the  interior.  Obstacles  were 
to  be  met  with,  and  an  immense  amount  of  labor  must  be 
performed,  in  order  to  prepare  for  a  harmonious  and  satis- 
factory presentation  of  the  subject ;  and  the  conclusion  of 
one  effort  was  only  a  prelude  to  its  renewal  in  another  lo- 
cality. Still,  in  spite  of  occasional  discouragements  and 
rebuffs,  the  work  was  nobly  carried  forward. 

At  the  anniversary  of  the  American  Sunday-school  Union 
held  at  Philadelphia  on  the  25th  of  May,  1830,  the  follow- 
ing resolution  was  introduced  and,  after  able  speeches  by 
the  Rev.  Drs.  McAuley  and  Beecher,  unanimously  adopted : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  American  Sunday-school  Union,  in 
reliance  upon  Divine  aid,  will,  within  two  years,  establish 
a  Sunday  School  in  every  destitute  place,  where  it  is  practi- 
cable, throughout  the  Yalley  of  the  Mississippi." 


70  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

The  scheme  was  a  noble  one,  and  in  keeping  with  the 
plans  recently  executed  to  supply  several  States  with  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  "  That  it  should  be  accomplished,"  said 
a  committee  appointed  by  a  meeting  of  members  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  then  in  ses- 
sion at  Philadelphia,  "  is  admitted  on  all  hands  to  be  desira- 
ble ;  but  to  accomplish  it  will  require  the  most  energetic 
and  persevering,  as  well  as  immediate  efforts.  To  estab- 
lish properly  7,000  schools,  and  gather  500,000  youth  into 
them,  and  all  this  in  two  years,  is  one  of  those  stupendous 
undertakings  which  a  little  while  ago  would  have  been 
deemed  the  extreme  of  rashness  and  folly,  and  which  even 
now,  when  the  Church  is  beginning  to  awake  in  some  de- 
gree, to  a  sense  of  her  duty  and  strength,  must  appear  to 
be  very  great,  and  very  difficult  to  be  accomplished."  "  May 
the  blessing  of  the  Lord  attend  this  work !"  writes  Mr. 
Baird  in  concluding  an  account  of  the  first  public  meeting 
at  Philadelphia  to  the  Neio  Yorh  Observer .  "Let  every 
heart  that  is  touched  with  love  for  the  souls  of  dying  men, 
be  raised  in  supplication  to  God  for  His  blessing." 

A  brief  sketch  of  the  great  meeting  which  was  held, 
through  Mr.  Baird's  efforts,  in  the  Masonic  Hall  on  Broad- 
way, New  York,  June  9, 1830,  will  give  a  better  conception 
than  any  general  description  could  convey,  of  the  mode  of 
conducting  these  important  gatherings,  and  of  their  signal 
efficiency.  "  The  doors  were  open  at  seven  o'clock,  and 
the  great  interest  of  the  occasion,  together  with  the  an- 
nouncement in  the  public  papers  that  the  Hon.  Mr.  Freling- 
huysen,  of  Newark,  would  be  present  and  deliver  an  ad- 
dress, caused  an  overflowing  assemblage  long  before  the 
time  appointed  for  opening  the  meeting.  At  a  quarter  be- 
fore eight  o'clock.  Chancellor  Walworth  was  called  to  the 
cliair,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cox,  and  Horace  Holden,  Esq., 
were  appointed  secretaries. 

"The  Chancellor  opened  the  meeting  by  reading  the 


MEETING  AT  NEW  YORK.  71 

resolution  (adopted  by  the  society  at  its  anniversary),  after 
which  he  made  some  very  eloquent  and  appropriate  remarks 
respecting  the  importance  of  the  object,  and  concluded  by 
observing  that  he  could  speak  with  feeling  on  this  subject, 
for  he  had  himself  recently  witnessed  with  his  own  eyes  the 
moral  desolation  in  some  parts  of  the  western  country,  and 
particularly  in  one  part  of  his  journey,  he  had  passed  over 
a  distance  of  one  hundred  and.  fifty  miles  without  seeing  one 
house  erected  to  the  worship  of  our  blessed  Redeemer. 
After  prayer  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Spring,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Rice 
stated  what  had  been  done  at  tlie  meetings  in  Philadelphia. 
.  .  The  whole  amount  subscribed  in  that  city,  we  under- 
stand, is  between  $20,000  and  $30,000,  and  it  is  expected 
that  before  the  effort  is  suspended,  the  amount  will  fully 
equal  the  latter  sum.  Dr.  Rice  estimated  the  number  of 
counties  in  the  Valley  of  the  West  at  three  hundred  and 
fifty,  and  reckoning  twenty  schools  as  necessary  for  each 
county,  the  whole  number  of  schools  required  will  be  seven 
thousand.  .  .  Rev.  Mr.  Young  of  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
followed  in  a  speech  setting  forth  the  difficulties  of  estab- 
lishing Sunday  Schools  in  the  West,  and  maintained  the 
proposition,  that  if  Sabbath  Schools  are  ever  established 
throughout  the  Yalley  of  the  Mississippi,  it  must  be  by  the 
aid  of  the  Atlantic  States.  A  letter  was  read  from  Mr. 
Frelinghuysen  who  had  been  announced  as  one  of  the  speak- 
ers, in  which  he  stated  that,  when  about  to  start,  he  had 
received  the  intelligence  that  a  very  near  relative  was  ap- 
parently at  the  point  of  death,  and  desired  his  presence. 
His  place  was  ably  filled  by  Rev.  Dr.  Cox,  Rev.  Mr.  Pat- 
ton,  and  Rev.  Absolom  Peters,  Secretary  of  the  American 
Home  Missionary  Society,  who  read  the  following  resolution 
of  the  Executive  Committee  of  that  Society  : 

"  The  Executive  Committee  of  the  American  Home  Mission- 
ary Society,  from  the  spirit  manifested  by  their  missionaries, 
and  from  the  results  of  past  labors,  feel  warranted  to  engage. 


72 


LIFE  OF  FiEV.  DR.  BATED. 


through  them,  to  establish  one  thousand  Sahhatli  Schools  in 
the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  within  two  years." 

This  was  an  offer  to  supply  one-seventh  of  the  number  of 
schools  needed  in  tlie  West,  and  Mr.  Peters  expressed  his 
regret  that  the  committee  had  not  said  tvjo  thousand  instead 
of  07ie. 

"  Mr.  Baird  returned  thanks  in  behalf  the  x\merican  Sun- 
day School  Union,  for  the  interest  manifested  by  the  meet- 
ing in  the  great  object  of  the  society.  Mr.  B.  will  set  out 
in  a  few  weeks  as  agent  of  the  society  to  superintend  the 
operations  in  the  great  valley.  He  deeply  felt  the  respon- 
sibility devolved  upon  him.  He  considered  the  temporal 
and  spiritual  prosperity  of  the  country  as  closely  connected 
with  the  success  of  the  Union,  and  stated  that  not  one-tenth 
part  of  the  youth  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains  were 
members  of  Sabbath  Schools,  while  in  the  Atlantic  States 
the  proportion  is  one-fourth." 

After  addresses  from  Rev.  William  S.  Potts  of  St.  Louis, 
Rev.  Dr.  Spring,  Professor  Storrs,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Lathrop 
of  Ohio,  the  exercises  closed.  The  account  we  have  given 
of  this  meeting  is  derived  from  the  report  in  the  JVew  York 
Observer  of  June  12,  1830,  which  appears  to  have  been  fur- 
nished by  Mr.  Baird.  Writing  to  his  family  at  a  late  hour 
in  the  night,  after  the  conclusion  of  the  meeting,  Mr.  Baird 
says  :  "  Monday,  yesterday  and  to-day,  we  went  on  with  our 
preparations,  and  to-night  had  a  very  large  meeting  at  the 
Masonic  Hall,  and  nearly  twelve  thousand  dollars  were 
subscribed.  The  Lord  has  been  truly  and  wonderfully 
good." 

Of  a  second  meeting  in  support  of  the  same  object,  held 
on  the  21st  of  the  month,  it  need  only  be  said  that  it  in  no 
wise  fell  behind  the  preceding  one  in  interest.  The  Hon. 
Theodore  Frelinghuysen  on  that  occasion  delivered  an  ad- 
dress of  such  elegance  and  force  of  diction,  combined  with 
sterling  sense  and  sincere  piety,  that  it  strikes  the  reader 


MEETIXG  AT  XEW  YORK  73 

as  being  fully  as  appropriate  now  as  when  first  uttered, 
more  than  a  score  and  a  half  of  years  ago.  Mr.  Baird 
added  a  few  practical  remarks  to  this  and  the  other  speeches  ; 
and  the  fruits  of  the  meeting,  besides  the  augmented  interest 
of  all  present  in  the  noble  cause  of  Sunday  School  educa- 
tion, were  the  swelling  of  the  contributions  from  New  York 
City  to  upwards  of  ^15,000. 

In  the  summer  of  1829,  he  made  a  tour  through  New 
England,  and  met  with  encouraging  success.  "  I  trust  that 
my  visit,"  he  writes,  "  will  tend  to  the  adA^ancement  of  the 
cause  for  which  I  labor.  Great  difficulties  and  trials  I  fipd 
must  be  encoimtered  in  every  field  upon  which  a  man  at- 
tempts to  labor.  I  hope  that  you  will  pray  much  for  me 
that  God  would  grant  me  that  degree  of  assistance  by  His 
grace  which  I  need,  and  those  measures  of  heavenly  wisdom, 
without  which  I  shall  be  able  to  accomplish  nothing  that 
will  be  for  the  glory  of  God."  A  few  weeks  later  he  was 
in  the  central  part  of  Pennsylvania,  and  revisited  the  scene 
of  his  first  toils  as  a  teacher.  The  cause  of  Christ  had  un- 
happily made  but  little  progress  during  the  intervening 
decade.  "  The  state  of  religion,"  lie  writes,  August  22,  1829, 
"  is  low  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  but  little  attention 
is  paid  to  Sabbath  schools.  I  do  not  expect,  therefore,  to 
obtain  much  for  the  American  Sunday  School  Union.  In- 
deed, it  is  surprising  and  truly  grievous  to  see  how  little 
Christians  throughout  our  country  care  for  the  low  state  of 
Zion.  None  seem  to  care  half,  so  much  for  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  salvation  of  men,  as  for  their  own  interest. 
Surely,  if  ever  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  built  up  in  the 
world,  as  it  is  predicted  it  will  be,  a  new  and  better  genera- 
tion of  Christians  must  be  raised  up.  Well,  let  us  do  all 
that  ice  can  to  glorify  God  and  save  lost  men  from  destruc- 
tion, during  tlie  little  time  whicl^God  grants  to  us  ;  and,  if  j 
we  are  not  allowed  by  our  wise  and  good  heavenly  Father 
to  possess  talents  of  an  extraordinary  kind,  nor  riches,  nor 


;4  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

influence  among  the  great,  let  us  be  contented,  and  always 
say,  '  Even  so,  Fatlier,  for  so  it  hath  seemed  good  in  thy 

sight.' Seek  resignation  to  the  will  of  God,  which 

separates  us  for  a  season.  I  hope,  however,  that  a  delight- 
ful eternity  remains  for  us  to  spend  together,  never  to  part 
any  more." 

But  when  to  the  occasional  discouragements  and  want 
of  apparent  success  incident  to  the  prosecution  of  so  great 
and  yet  so  new  an  enterprise  as  that  of  a  society  barely  five 
years  old,  was  added  the  reflection  that  he  must  necessarily 
louok  forward  to  long  and  repeated  absence  from  home,  and 
must  leave  the  entire  charge  and  training  of  his  young 
children  to  their  already  overburdened  mother,  Mr.  Baird 
was  at  times  almost  ready  to  resign  his  position.  Under 
date  of  December  17,  1829,  he  says  :  "  At  times,  when  my 
spirits  become  low,  when  I  am  fatigued  and  discouraged  by 
want  of  success,  I  think  that  I  cannot  stand  this  heart- 
breaking business,  and  that  I  must  relinquish  it  for  one 
more  congenial  to  my  nature  and  feelings.  But  when  I 
look  at  the  magnitude  of  the  work,  and  reflect  how  desira- 
ble it  is  that  this  great  cause  should  succeed,  I  feel  that  if 
my  feeble  exertions  can  in  any  way  promote  its  success,  I 
ousrht  to  be  willino'  to  encounter  all  the  self-denial  and  all 

o  o 

the  labor  which  must  lie  in  my  path  whilst  occupied  in  this 
work." 

In  July,  1830,  Mr.  Baird  removed  his  family  to  Phila- 
delphia, which  became  his-  home  for  the  ensuing  five  years. 
He  hoped  by  this  change  to  be  able  to  shorten  tlie  length 
of  his  frequent  absences,  Philadelphia  being  the  centre  of 
the  operations  of  the  Society. 

In  the  summer  and  autumn  of  tlie  same  year,  he  made  a 
tour  through  Pennsylvania,  Oliio  and  Kentucky,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  giving  a  great  ii^ipetus  to  the  enterprise  in  wliicli 
he  was  enoraored.  More  than  five  thousand  dollars  were 
subscribed  to   the   fund  for  establishing   Sunday  Schools 


•      A  NARROW  ESCAPE.  75 

throughout  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  in  Cincinnati, 
Lexington,  Frankfort  and  Louisville,  and  as  much  more  in 
Pittsburg  and  Baltimore.  Although  suffering  from  an  at- 
tack of  bilious  fever  during  much  of  the  time,  he  mentions 
the  fact  in  one  of  his  letters  that  he  had  spoken  thirty-eight 
times  in  public,  in  six  or  seven  weeks,  and  had  traveled 
(chiefly  in  stages)  the  distance  of  one  thousand  miles.  When 
homeward  bound  and  expecting  to  meet  his  family,  from 
which  he  had  already  been  detained  beyond  his  original 
intention,  he  was  exposed  to  imminent  danger  ;  and,  al- 
though, in  the  good  providence  of  God  his  life  was  spared, 
he  was  subjected  to  much  suffering  by  an  unfortunate  inci- 
dent, which  he  thus  describes  in  a  letter  from  Pittsburg, 
September  15,  1830  :  "  I  fear,  however,  that  I  shall  not  be 
able  to  reach  Philadelphia  quite  as  soon  as  I  anticipated. 
I  met  on  Friday  morning  last,  about  forty  miles  from  this 
place,  with  an  accident  of  a  painful  kind,  and  one  which 
had  well  nigh  proved  fatal  to  me.  To  accommodate  some 
ladies  who  got  into  the  stage  at  Xew  Lisbon  (Ohio),  which 
place  we  left  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  rode  with  the 
driver.  After  having  come  about  fourteen  miles,  we  were 
enterino:  a  villao-e  called  West  Union,  where  we  were  to 
breakfast,  when  the  driver  struck  the  horse  just  before  me 
with  his  whip,  as  the  stage  was  ascending  a  little  hill.  The 
horse  at  that  instant  reared,  and  the  next  moment  struck 
my  left  leg  a  most  severe  blow  about  three  or  four  inches 
below  the  knee.  I  thoug-ht  at  first  that  the  bone  was  broken. 
As  we  were  just  at  the  place  where  we  were  to  stop  for  break- 
fast, I  was  enabled  to  have  it  dressed  in  a  few  minutes  by 
a  physician.     It  was  badly  cut  across  the  bone  ;  and  nearly 

two  inches  in  depth. After  breakfast  I  set  out  in 

the  stage,  sitting  on  the  front  seat  and  laying  my  leg  on 
the  middle  seat,  and  got  on  without  much  pain  to  this  place, 
where  I  arrived  about  eight  o'clock  at  night.  I  had  a  most 
affectionate  set  of  passengers  with  me,  especially  two  or 


•j6  LIFE  OF  REV.  BR  BAIRD. 

three  devoted  Christian  ladies  of  this  place,  who  manifested 
much  sympathy  and  rendered  every  assistance  which  they 

could What  a  mercy  that  it  is  no  worse !     Had  it 

been  the  other  leg,  upon  which  my  weight  was  then  resting, 
it  would  probably  have  been  broken.  How  good  God  is  to 
us !  Let  us  not  be  impatient  under  these  trials,  nor  too 
desirous  of  meeting  again.  Perhaps  our  selfishness  in  this 
particular  has  been  offensive  to  God." 

In  the  month  of  December,  1830,  he  again  left  liome  for 
an  extended  tour  in  the  service  of  the  American  Sunday 
School  Union,  which  was  not  completed  until  the  following 
May.  On  this  journey  he  descended  for  the  first  time  the 
Mississippi,  stopping  at  St.  Louis,  Memphis  and  other  im- 
portant points.  From  New  Orleans  he  returned  by  way  of 
Mobile,  Augusta,  Savannah,  Charleston,  Columbia,  Raleigh 
and  Richmond.  In  all  these,  and  in  a  number  of  smaller 
cities,  the  claims  of  the  "  Great  West"  upon  the  sympathies 
and  Christian  activity  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  older  and 
wealthier  East,  were  presented  at  large  public  meetings  ; 
and  the  effect  was  in  every  instance  good.  Yet  opposition 
to  the  scheme  of  the  Sunday  School  Union  was  not  wanting, 
and  in  at  least  one  instance  it  assumed  an  organized  form, 
as  we  learn  from  a  letter  of  Mr.  Baird  in  the  New  York 
Oh^erver  of  April  9, 1831.  At  a  public  meeting  in  Augusta, 
Georgia,  after  Mr.  Baird  had  fully  stated  the  object  pro- 
posed, and  the  Rev.  Mr.  ^lallory  had  offered  a  resolution 

approving  of  the  great  Western  effort,  "  a  Mr.  B ,  at 

the  head  of  a  host  of  Sunday-school  friends,  of  whom  as  such 
nobody  in  Augusta  had  ever  heard  before,  pro])osed  a  sub- 
stitute, advocating  the  propriety  of  the  people  of  Augusta 
confining  all  their  efforts  to  their  own  city,  where  he  did 
not  seem  to  be  aware  that  anything  had  yet  been  done!"' 

A  Mr.  R followed  in  the  same  strain,  and  had  much  to 

say  in  favor  of  that  kind  of  benevolence  "  which  requires  no 
money."     One  Dr.  C was  more  consistent,  for  in  his 


OPPOSITIOK  77 

remarks  lie  expressed  liimself  as  opposed  to  doing  anything 
either  at  home  or  abroad.  The  friends  of  the  cause,  not  so 
much  of  tlie  Sunday-school  Union  as  of  religion^  stood  up 
manfully  in  its  defence.  "  Mr.  Gould,  a  lawyer,  a  son  of 
Judge  GouVl  of  Connecticut,  spoke  in  an  able  manner.     .\. 

Dr.  R ,  on  the  same  side,  gave  the  new  friencU  of  tlie 

Sunday  School  cause  some  information  about  the  seven  or 
tight  schools  in  Augusta.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Smith  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church  proposed  to  circulate  subscription  cards  to 
promote  both  objects."  A  second  meeting  was  held,  when 
an  equally  animated  discussion  occurred  between  General 
Glascock  and  other  friends  of  the  West,  and  the  volunteer 
champions  of  Augusta  and  Richmond  county.  This  oppo- 
sition did  much  good  ;  for  it  fixed  the  attention  of  truly 
Christian  men  upon  the  importance  of  the  work  of  the 
Society,  and  after  the  subscriptions  had  fully  satisfied  the 
expectations  of  its  friends,  "  they  held  the  opposers  to  their 
own  proposition,"  insisting  that  they  should  do  what  they 
had  so  strenuously  maintained  to  be  necessary -for  Georgia 
itself,  and  for  Augusta  and  its  vicinity  in  particular.  "  It 
is  to  be  hoped,"  writes  Mr.  Baird,  "  that  those  who  have 
been  so  late  in  coming  into  this  good  work,  will  work  hard 
and  atone  for  their  tardiness !  But  I  stand  in  doubt  of 
them.  Still,  who  can  tell  ?  I  hope  that  they  will  do  some- 
thing, and  not  let  their  zeal  evaporate  in  words 

I  was  glad  to  see  that  there  was  not  one  ChriHian,  or  rather 
I  should  say,  'professor  of  religion,  in  the  opposition." 

After  a  brief  stay  at  home,  he  again  undertook  a  journey 
of  several  months.  Starting  in  July,  1831,  he  passed 
through  Richmond  and  Lynchburg  to  Western  Virginia, 
and  thence  throudi  East  Tennessee  to  Nashville.  His 
health  during  this  trip  was  feeble  ;  but  this  circumstance 
did  not  prevent  him  from  enjoying  the  beauties  of  the  natu- 
ral scenery  of  the  region  through  Avhich  he  traveled  day 
and  night  in  the  stage,  and  the  picturesque  aspect  of  many 


78  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

a  secluded  settlement  upon  the  mountains'  side,  to  wliicli  he 
refers  in  his  correspondence.  Murfreesboro  was  next  vis- 
ited ;  then  Louisville,  whence  St.  Louis  was  reached  by 
steamboat.  At  the  last-mentioned  city  a  meeting  was  held, 
at  which  a  noble  appeal  in  behalf  of  the  establishment  of 
Sunday  schools  throughout  the  West,  was  made  by  men 
who  have  since  attained  the  highest  position  in  the  conduct 
of  our  national  affairs — H.  R.  Gamble,  Esq.,  since  Gover- 
nor of  Missouri,  and  Edward  Bates,  Esq.,  Attorney  General 
of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Baird,  as  was  his  custom,  intro- 
duced the  subject  of  the  meeting  with  some  general  state- 
ments. 

A  melancholy  incident  occurred  on  the  very  day  upon 
which  he  reached  St.  Louis.  Major  Biddle,  of  the  United 
States  army,  and  Mr.  Pettis,  a  member  elect  of  Congress 
from  the  State  of  Missouri,  were  impelled  by  political  dif- 
ferences, which  had  created  deep  personal  animosity,  to 
settle  their  quarrel  by  duel.  Major  Biddle  had  attacked 
Mr.  Pettis  in  an  anonymous  article  in  a  newspaper  ;  the 
latter  had  foolishly  replied,  and  the  discussion  becoming 
acrimonious.  Major  Biddle  had  at  last  attempted  to  horse- 
whip Mr.  Pettis  in  his  own  room.  A  challenge,  which  was 
accepted,  was  the  result.  The  time  and  place  of  the  en- 
counter appear  to  have  been  currently  known  beforehand  ; 
but,  strange  to  say,  the  friends  of  neither  of  the  parties 
made  any  earnest  attempt  to  reconcile  them,  or  to  invoke 
ihe  intervention  of  the  law.  The  spot  fixed  upon  was  a  lit- 
tle island  opposite  St.  Louis,  and  belonging  to  Illinois. 
The  fatal  duel  took  place  at  four  o'clock  p.m.  "  I  was  amazed 
to  find,"  writes  Mr.  Baird,  "  that  there  was  so  little  feeling 
manifested  by  the  people  before  it  occurred.  (Gamblers  in 
the  city  were  engaged  in  betting  on  the  event  of  the  duel ; 
in  other  words,  on  the  nerves  of  the  contending  parties !) 
Everybody  knew  it,  and  yet  there  was  no  excitement. 
With  me,  although  an  utter  stranger  to  both  of  the  parties, 


A  FATAL  DUEL. 


79 


it  was,  I  confess,  far  otlierwise.  I  stood  with  melancholy 
interest  on  the  bank,  and  watched  the  boat  that  carried 
Major  Biddle  and  his  party  over.  Mr.  Pettis  and  his  friends 
had  gone  before — perhaps  an  hour.  When  they  met  at  the 
upper  end  of  the  island,  under  the  shade  of  the  trees,  where 
many  a  duel  had  occurred  before,  the  affair  was  soon  over. 
They  spoke  to  each  other.  The  seconds  measured  off  the 
ground^-^ve  feel !  At  the  signal,  both  turned  and  fired 
simultaneously.  Major  Biddle  fell  at  once,  and  was  for 
some  time  insensible,  being  shot  in  his  side  just  above  the 
hip.  Mr.  Pettis  was  shot  higher  up,  through  the  breast, 
just  above  the  pockets  of  his  waistcoat ;  he  immediately 
clapped  his  hand  on  the  wound,  and  was  assisted  in  lying 
dowQ  by  his  second."  Both  were  mortally  injured.  The 
former  lingered  in  a  state  of  excruciating  suffering  for 
nearly  three  days  ;  the  latter  died  within  less  than  twenty- 
four  hours.  "  I  stood  upon  the  banks,  with  hundreds," 
writes  Mr.  Baird,  "  and  saw  Mr.  Pettis  carried  on  a  mat- 
trass  to  his  boarding-house.  The  next  day,  sick  as  I  was, 
I  called  to  see  him,  at  the  request  of  one  of  his  friends." 
Mr.  Pettis's  language,  he  remarks,  was  most  solemn,  as  he 
said,  in  an  impressive  tone,  "  I  want  you  to  unite  with  me 
in  praying  that  a  soul  situated  as  mine  is,  may,  if  possible, 
obtain  salvation."  "  I  did  so,"  says  Mr.  Baird,  "  and 
preached  Christ  to  him  and  his  ungodly  companions.  Oh, 
it  was  a  solemn  time.  He  was  in  great  distress,  and  died 
in  an  hour  after  I  left  him." 

Reaching  home  in  the  beginning  of  October,  Mr.  Baird 
started,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  same  month,  upon  a  tour 
through  New  England,  preaching  or  organizing  meetings 
in  behalf  of  the  Society,  at  Boston,  New  Bedford,  Concord, 
and  Exeter,  N.  H.,  and  Portland,  Me.  The  months  of 
March,  April  and  May,  of  the  ensuing  year,  1832,  were 
taken  up  with  a  journey,  the  furthest  point  reached  being 
Nashville,  Tennessee.     On  this,  as  on  all  his  other  trips, 


8o  LIFE  OF  EEV.  I)Ii.  BAIRD. 

his  liveliest  interest  was  elicited  by  the  spiritual  condition 
of  the  region  through  which  lie  traveled.  Not  content 
with  presenting  the  claims  of  the  Sunday  School  Union,  he 
generally  preached  several  times  on  Sunday,  and  addressed 
religious  meetinirs  held  during  the  week.  The  following: 
extract  will  give  an  idea  both  of  tliese  and  other  extraor- 
dinary labors,  and  of  their  blessed  fruits  which  he  was  some- 
times permitted  to  see : 

"As  there  was  a  'three  days*  meeting'  there,  I  resolved 
to  stop  at  Sparta,  and  stay  until  Monday,  and  then  return 
in  the  stage  from  East  Tennessee.  I  accordingly  spent 
Saturday  and  Sunday  there,  and  preached  tluee  times,  and 
was  treated  with  great  kindness  by  a  little  band  of  Chris- 
tians. A  revival  took  place  at  Sparta,  and  gathered  nearly 
twenty  persons  into  the  Presbyterian  clmrcli,  which  has 
been  lately  organized,  and  has  now  twenty-five  members. 
I  hope  that  my  labors  there  were  not  in  vain.  I  found  a 
man  there  to  whom  I  had  talked  mucli  in  the  stage  last 
summer,  in  going  from  Sparta  to  McMinnville.  He  has 
now  become  pious,  as  well  as  several  of  his  family.  He 
met  me,  at  the  close  of  my  sermon  on  Saturday  morning, 
on  tlie  steps  of  the  pulpit,  and  reminded  me  of  what  I  had 
said  to  him  about  his  soul  at  that  time,  and  exclaimed,  with 
tears  in  his  eyes,  that '  it  had  done  him  a  heap  of  good  P  " 

In  jiarch,  1833,  liis  duties  called  him  to  Washington,  in 
winch  city  and  its  vicinity  several  meetings  were  held  in 
behalf  of  the  Society.  His  visit  to  the  national  capital 
occurred  at  one  of  the  most  critical  points  in  the  history  of 
the  United  States.  His  own  views  respecting  it  sufficiently 
appear  from  a  letter  dated  March  1st :  '*  I  have  spent  almost 
the  whole  of  this  day  at  the  Capitol.  I  had  an  opportunity 
to  hear  some  fine  speaking  in  the  Senate,  on  the  final  vote 
on  Mr.  Clay's  tarifi"  bill,  or  Compromhe,  as  it  is  called.  It 
passed  in  the  House  of  Representatives  on  Tuesday,  and  to- 
day passed  in  the  Senate,  by  a  vote  of  29  to  16.     I  stayed 


THE  COMPROMISE  MEASURES.  81 

from  half-past  twelve  to  half-past  five  o'clock,  listening  to 
the  debate.  Calhoun,  Frelingliuysen,  Dallas,  Clayton,  Ew- 
ing,  Webster,  Forsyth,  Mangum,  Wright,  Smith,  Sillsbee, 
and  Clay,  spoke.  Mr.  Frelinghuysen  spoke  admirably,  as 
did  Mr.  Calhoun  and  Mr.  Clay.  I  think  Mr.  Clay  the 
most  interesting  speaker  that  I  ever  heard.  I  do  not  know 
that  I  was  ever  more  delighted  than  I  was  at  the  close, 
when  the  vote  was  taken.  It  is  a  matter  of  rejoicing  that 
this  bill  is  likely  to  restore  peace  and  concord  to  the  coun- 
try. It  is  what  Mr.  Frelinghuysen  beautifully  called  it, 
'  a  great  peace-offering,  made  by  the  friends  of  the  protec- 
tive system,  to  restore  harmony  to  this  distracted  country.' 
Matters  now  wear  a  delightful  aspect.  I  had  an  opportu- 
nity of  seeing  several  men  whom  I  have  known  slightly — 
such  as  Grundy,  Clay,  etc.  I  hope  on  Monday  to  see  more 
of  them,  as  I  expect  to  attend  the  inauguration  of  the  Pres- 
ident and  Yice-President." 

Another  journey  of  greater  length  than  any  of  the  pre- 
vious tours  consumed  about  seven  months — from  October, 
1833,  to  April,  1834.  The  route  Mr.  Baird  pursued  varied 
but  little  from  that  adopted  in  his  first  visit  to  the  South. 
Going  down  the  Mississippi  to  Xew  Orleans,  he  returned 
by  Mobile,  Augusta,  Savannah,  Charleston,  etc.  At  Au- 
gusta there  was  "  no  opposition  this  time,"  but  on  the  con- 
trary, his  advocacy  of  the  cause  of  Sunday  schools  was  re- 
ceived with  much  favor.  From  Charleston  he  wrote  :  "  We 
are  to  have  our  public  meeting  here  next  Monday.  I  almost 
tremble  about  it.  This  is  a  hard  place.  Nullification  and 
the  dissensions  which  it  has  created  here,  have  embit- 
tered everything.  You  can  have  no  idea  of  the  great  evil 
which  these  political  difficulties  have  occasioned.  Families, 
churches  and  neighborhoods  have  been  rent  asunder  by 
them  ;  and  everything  good  is  prostrate.  But  a  better  day, 
I  think,  is  about  to  dawn."  From  the  town  of  Cheraw, 
S.  C,  on  the  bank  of  the  Great  Pedee,  and  near  the  border 
6 


82  LIFE  OF  REV,  D7?.  BAIRD. 

of  North  Carolina,  he  writes  that  the  congregation  of  the 
little  church,  in  which  he  liad  preaclied  three  times  on  the 
Sabbath,  were  desirous  that  he  should  settle  as  tlieir  pas- 
tor. "  And  if  it  were  fall,^^  he  adds,  "  instead  of  early 
spring,  I  think  I  should  be  inclined  to  do  it ;  but  they  can- 
not wait,  and  it  would  not  do  for  us  to  come  here  in  the 
spring."  How  greatly  do  the  circumstances  which  we  in 
our  ignorance  call  trivial  and  accidental,  but  which  are 
essential  elements  in  God's  great  plans,  shape  the  destinies 
of  our  lives,  and  doubtless  also  the  more  weighty  events  that 
concern  the  progress  of  Christ's  kingdom !  Who  can  say 
to  what  an  extent  the  cause  of  evangelical  truth  in  the  papal 
countries  of  Europe,  and  that  of  the  temperance  reform  in 
the  northern  portions  of  the  same  continent,  might  have 
been  retarded,  had  it  been  deemed  prudent  for  Mr  Baird  to 
remove  his  family  to  that  small  parish  in  an  interior  town 
of  South  Carolina,  or  had  the  church  been  able  to  wait  a 
few  months  for  a  pastor  ?  At  all  events  the  conduct  of 
those  noble  enterprises  in  which  he  was  at  a  later  time  to 
take  a  leading  part,  would  necessarily  have  been  confided 
to  other  hands. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  year  1834,  Mr.  Baird,  after 
mature  reflection,  determined  to  resign  the  position  which 
he  had  held  for  over  five  years.  Not  less  interested  than 
at  first  in  the  Sunday-school  cause,  but  even  more  so,  as  he 
became  more  familiar  witli  the  demands  of  the  work,  he 
had  seen  the  enterprise  of  planting  a  Sabbath  scliool  in 
every  destitute  part  of  tlie  West,  and  tlie  similar  enterprises 
undertaken  three  years  later  for  the  South,  if  not  wholly 
accomplished,  at  least  advancing  satisfactorily.  The  inces- 
sant journeys  wliich  the  superintendence  of  so  vast  a  field 
imposed  were  exceedingly  trying  to  his  healtli,  as  his  letters 
abundantly  testify.  And  liis  own  longings  for  a  more  quiet 
sphere  of  usefulness,  were  strengthened  by  the  claims  of  his 
family,  now  beginning  to  stand  in  particular  need  of  a 


INTEREST  IN  FRANCE.  83 

father's  direction.  It  was  only  at  the  urgent  request  of  the 
friends  of  the  Society,  who  were  even  now  extremely  averse 
to  allowing  him  to  leave,  that  he  had  retained  the  general 
agency  so  long.  Several  propositions  addressed  to  him 
had  for  this  reason  been  dismissed — one  or  two  from  relig- 
ious journals  in  the  East  and  West  to  assume  the  editorial 
chair,  another  from  the  American  Board  to  enter  their 
service,  and  others  from  the  friends  of  other  societies.  But 
the  plan  which  was  most  congenial  to  his  Christian  prefer- 
ences was  one  which  he  had  long  since  indefinitely  framed, 
and  for  the  execution  of  which  the  providence  of  God  seemed 
now  to  have  opened  the  door. 

Mr.  Baird  had  even  in  early  youth  conceived  an  extraor- 
dinary interest  in  the  history  of  France,  the  land  of  the 
Huguenots,  the  native  land  of  Calvin  His  own  marriage 
with  one  whose  ancestors  had  been  driven  from  their  native 
country  by  the  persecuting  frenzy  of  Louis  XI Y.  and  his 
successors,  to  find  a  home  and  liberty  of  conscience  beyond 
the  seas,  lent  additional  force  to  what  had  before  been  little 
more  than  a  fancy  ;  while  it  gave  a  new  direction  to  his 
tlioughts  and  to  much  of  his  reading.  Cannot  the  Protest- 
ant world,  now  that  the  intolerant  sway  of  the  elder  branch 
of  the  Bourbons  is  overthrown,  and  the  favorite  of  the  peo- 
ple has  assumed  the  sceptre,  do  more  than  is  being  done 
for  France  ?  Can  America  put  forth  no  exertions  in  behalf 
of  a  country  whose  exiled  confessors  were  the  progenitors  of 
many  of  her  best  citizens  ?  Such  were  the  questions  that 
forced  themselves  upon  his  mind.  At  least  one  intimate 
friend,  the  distinguished  Rev.  Dr.  Wisner,  pastor  of  the 
Old  South  Church  at  Boston,  had  urged  Mr.  Baird  to  ex- 
plore the  field  and  learn  the  prospects  of  success  that  would 
attend  an  effort  of  the  American  churches  in  that  direction. 
As  early  as  on  the  6th  of  December,  1831,  Mr.  Baird  wrote 
to  his  wife  from  New  England,  whicli  he  was  then  visiting, 
in  behalf  of   the  American  Sundav  School  Union  :   "  Dr. 


84  LIFE  OF  JREV.  BR.  BATED. 

Wisner  is  anxious  that  we  should  go  to  France^  Tho 
project  did  not,  however,  assume  a  definite  shape  until  tliree 
years  later,  as  we  shall  see  in  the  next  chapter. 

During  tlie  period  of  Mr.  Baird's  life  which  we  have  just 
been  considering,  his  literary  activity  was  astonishing,  if 
we  take  into  view  the  engrossing  and  laborious  character 
of  his  ordinary  pursuits.  He  was  a  regular  and  frequent 
correspondent  both  of  the  New  York  Observer  and  of  the 
Stmdcoy -school  Journal.  Of  his  long  tours  in  the  West 
and  South  he  gave  a  full  and  accurate  account  in  the  col- 
umns of  tlie  former.  At  one  time  he  wrote  two  series  of 
letters,  under  the  title  of  "  Letters  from  the  Valley  of  the 
Mississippi,"  and  "  Letters  from  the  West,"  which  appeared 
contemporaneously,  and  sometimes  side  by  side.  It  was 
characteristic  of  these  articles  that  they  contained  not  nar- 
ratives of  startling  personal  adventure,  but  a  minute  and 
graphic  account  of  all  that  was  most  worthy  of  being  seen, 
known  and  remembered,  by  one  who  traveled  through  re- 
gions much  less  generally  understood  than  they  are  now. 
All  bear  the  marks  of  that  careful  scrutiny,  conscientious 
investigation  and  power  of  discrimination  which  were  lead- 
ing traits  of  Mr.  Baird  as  a  traveler,  at  a  later  period,  in 
the  Old  World. 

He  was  also  the  contributor  of  several  articles,  for  the 
most  part  on  topics  kindred  to  the  work  which  received  his 
principal  attention,  to  the  "  Biblical  Repertory  and  Prince- 
ton Review,"  founded  by  Rev.  Charles  Hodge,  D.  D.  The 
number  for  April,  1830,  contains  a  treatise  on  Sunday 
Schools,  based  upon  the  annual  reports  of  the  American 
Sunday  School  Union  from  1825  to  1829  inclusive  ;  in  which 
the  foundation,  character  and  prospects  of  this  benevolent 
institution  are  admirably  skctclied.  A  shorter  article  in 
the  number  for  July,  1831,  discusses  the  utility  of  the  Sun- 
day school,  and  an  extension  of  the  plan  so  as  to  remedy 
the  palpable  defects  in  the  organization  and  management 


LITERARY  LABORS.  85 

of  the  common  schools  of  the  country  ;  and  makes  several 
important  siigg;estion3  respecting  a  religious  education. 
The  article  on  Common  Schools  in  the  "  Repertory"  of  April, 
1833,  exposes  more  fully  the  feasibility  of  a  system  in  which 
this  feature  shall  be  prominent. 

Besides  contributing  largely  to  the  periodical  press,  Mr. 
Baird  wrote  two  volumes.  The  first,  a  duodecimo  of  about  ^ 
350  pages,  published  in  1832,  was  entitled  a  "  View  of  the 
Valley  of  the  Mississippi ;"  and  appeared  without  the  au- 
thor's name.  The  letters  which  Mr.  Baird  had  written  to 
the  New  York  Ohserver,  at  the  request  of  the  editors,  had 
been  read  with  great  interest  by  the  many  readers  of  that 
widely-circulated  journal.  Describing  the  condition  and 
prospects  of  so  large  a  part  of  the  newly-settled  portions 
of  our  country,  they  contained  a  vast  amount  of  statistical 
and  other  information  for  which  few  knew  where  else  to 
look.  It  was  suggested  that  this  information  ought  to  be 
rendered  permanently  serviceable  by  incorporating  all  that 
was  not  of  ephemeral  interest  in  a  book,  which  might  thus 
prove  a  reliable  guide  for  the  intelligent  "emigrant  or  trav- 
eler, as  well  as  a  work  of  reference  for  the  scholar  in  his 
study.  In  point  of  fact,  however,  the  volume  derived  a 
very  small  part  of  its  contents  from  the  letters,  while  a 
completeness  was  given  to  it  which  the  limits  of  a  news- 
paper correspondence  precluded.  It  was  accompanied  by 
accurate  maps. 

More  directly  bearing  upon  personal  religion  is  Mr. 
Baird's  second  book,  "  A  Memoir  of  Anna  Jane  Linnard,"  • 
a  volume  of  223  pages,  written  in  1834,  and  published  in 
Philadelphia  at  the  commencement  of  the  following  year? 
with  an  introduction  by  the  Hon.  Theodore  Frelinghuysen. 
This  is  one  of  those  Christian  biographies  of  which,  blessed 
be  God,  there  have  been  so  many  within  the  present  century,  / 
in  which  the  bright  example  of  a  character  of  unaffected 
and  simple,  yet  zealous  piety,  is  held  up  for  imitation,  not 


86  LIFE  OF  REV.  DB,  BATED. 

in  the  spirit  of  blind  admiration,  but  of  love  for  all  that 
bears  the  impress  of  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The 
subject  formed  a  noble  study,  worthy  of  the  pen  of  a  Chris- 
tian writer.  Nor  was  the  author  disappointed  in  his  hope 
that  the  portraiture  of  a  young  lady  adorned  with  all  the 
fruits  of  grace  would  prove  a  valuable  accession  to  the 
religious  literature  of  the  age.  Not  only  did  it  enjoy  a  sat- 
isfactory circulation  in  this  country  and  in  England,  but 
translated  into  German  it  was  perused  with  profit,  it  is 
believed,  by  many  a  reader  on  the  continent. 


CHAPTER  YIII. 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  FRENCH  ASSOCIATION.  MISSION  OF  THE  REV. 
ROBERT  BAIRD  TO  PARIS.  WAR  BETWEEN  FRANCE  AND  THE 
UNITED  STATES  APPREHENDED.  HIS  INSTRUCTIONS.  EM- 
BARKS FOR  HAVRE. 

1835. 

FOR  a  long  time  previous  to  Mr.  BaircVs  appointment 
by  the  French  Association,  the  religious,  as  well  as 
the  political  state  of  France,  had  excited  a  very  lively  in- 
terest in  many  minds  in  the  United  States.  This  solicitude 
became  deeper,  when  the  general  peace  of  1815  restored 
tranquility  to  that  long-agitated  country,  as  well  as  to  all 
the  rest  of  Europe.  During  the  reigns  of  Louis  XYIII.  and 
Charles  X.,  however,  there  was  no  opportunity  for  the  sym- 
pathy of  American  Christians  to  exhibit  itself  in  a  practical 
manner.  Meanwhile,  it  was  not  suffered  to  expire.  The 
interesting  statements  made  by  the  Rev.  Jonas  King  (since 
then  a  missionary  to  Greece),  and  of  others  who  visited 
France  within  this  period,  gave  it  additional  strength  and 
diffusion. 

In  1830,  the  hopes  of  the  friends  of  evangelical  religion 
acquired  a  new  impulse  from  the  revolution  of  July,  which 
promised  to  effect  a  great  extension  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty  throughout  the  dominions  of  the  French  monarch. 
The  very  next  year,  at  the  anniversaries  of  the  religious  so- 
cieties in  the  city  of  New  York,  a  meeting  was  held  to  con- 
sider the  best  method  of  promoting  the  desired  object. 

(HI) 


88  LIFE  OF  HEV  DR.  BAIRD. 

Among  its  results  were  the  raising  of  two  thousand  dollars, 
and  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  consult  Avitli  Chris- 
tians at  Paris  respecting  the  propriety  of  establishing  a  co- 
operative "  Benevolent "  society  in  France.  The  latter 
project  was  abandoned,  in  accordance  with  the  advice  of 
the  French  brethren  ;  but  a  committee  was  instituted  in 
that  country  to  be  entrusted  with  the  funds  sent  from  this 
side  of  the  ocean.  Within  a  year  or  two,  however,  the 
Evangelical  Society  and  new  Theological  Seminary  of  Ge- 
neva, and  the  French  Evangelical  Society  of  Paris,  were 
established,  to  no  slight  extent  in  consequence  of  the  urgent 
advice  of  a  number  of  American  gentlemen,  who  justly  ap- 
preciated tlie  importance  of  such  organizations.  French 
Christians,  on  the  other  hand,  were  desirous  that  a  society, 
in  some  sense  auxiliary  to  their  own,  should  be  formed  in 
the  United  States.  Hence  arose,  in  1834,  the  French  As- 
sociation, under  whose  auspices  the  Rev.  Flavel  S.  Mines 
sustained  for  a  year  an  American  service  at  Paris.  On 
the  abandonment  of  this  plan,  and  the  return  of  Mr.  Mines, 
the  committee  resolved  to  select  some  suitable  person,  who 
should  make  Paris  his  home  for  a  few  years,  and  render 
himself  fully  acquainted  with  the  religious  condition  and 
prospects,  not  only  of  France,  but  also,  as  far  as  practicable, 
of  other  countries  on  the  continent.  He  was  to  communi- 
cate the  result  of  his  observations  and  inquiries  to  the 
religious  societies  of  this  country,  and  he  was  desired  to 
render  all  the  assistance  in  his  power  to  the  benevolent  - 
enterprises  recently  initiated  in  the  country  where  lie  sliould 
sojourn.  The  committee  invited  the  Rev.  Mr.  Baird  to 
undertake  this  important  and  delicate  mission."^ 

Having  accepted  the  appointment,  Mr.  Baird  spent  the 

*  We  lave  adoptefl,  in  this  summar}^  view  of  the  eircurastances  that  led 
to  the  mission  of  Mr.  Baird  to  France  almost  the  language  of  the  "  First 
published  Report  of  the  Foreign  Evangelical  Association"  (May,  18-38), 
which  was  written  principally,  if  not  altogether,  by  Mr.  Baird  himself. 


A   WAR  APPBEHENDED.  89 

last  two  montlis  of  the  year  1834  and  the  mouth  of  January 
1835,  in  visitinsr  a  number  of  scentlemen  in  New  York, 
Boston,  Albany  and  Philadelphia,  whom  he  interested  in 
the  contemplated  enterprise,  securing  at  the  same  time  the 
greater  part  of  the  funds  necessary  for  its  support  during 
the  following  three  years.  It  was  not,  however,  without 
considerable  solicitude  respecting  the  stability  of  the  peace. 
ful  relations  between  the  French  and  American  Govern, 
ments  that  he  made  his  preparations  for  departure. 

The  claim  of  the  United  States  for  the  indemnification 
of  its  citizens  for  losses  sustained  at  the  hands  of  the  French 
at  various  times  between  the  years  1800  and  1817,  after 
having  been  frequently  admitted  as  just  by  the  Freno-h 
authorities,  had  been  recognized  officially  in  a  treaty  signed 
at  Paris  on  the  fourth  of  July,  1831.  The  French  monarch 
thereby  promised  to  pay  to  the  United  States  the  sum  of 
25,000,000  franc?,  in  six  equal  annual  instalments,  the  first 
within  me  year  from  the  interchange  of  the  ratifications. 
But  so  far  was  the  French  Government  from  fulfilling  its 
engagements,  that,  in  spite  of  frequent  remonstrances, 
months  and  years  rolled  by,  without  the  voting  of  the 
necessary  appropriation  by  the  Legislative  Chambers.  A 
draft  of  the  United  States  for  the  first  instalment  "  was  dis- 
honored by  the  Minister  of  Finance."  The  King,  mean- 
while, threw  the  blame  upon  the  Legislature,  and  was  pro- 
fuse in  his  apologies  ;  bat  his  failure  to  press  the  subject  on 
its  consideration,  and  his  unseasonable  proroguing  of  the 
Chamber  of  Deputies,  sufficiently  evinced  his  own  culpa- 
bility. Under  these  circumstances,  Andrew  Jackson,  then 
President  of  the  United  States,  sent  to  Congress  his  famous 
annual  message  of  December  1,  1834,  in  which  a  vigorous 
policy  was  foreshadowed.  After  rehearsing  at  length  the 
history  of  the  entire  transaction,  the  President  said :  "  It 
is  my  conviction,  that  the  United  States  ought  to  insist  on  a 
prompt  execution  of  the  treaty,  and  in  case  it  be  refused, 


90  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

or  longer  delayed,  take  redress  in  their  own  hands.  After 
the  delay  on  the  part  of  France  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  in 
acknowledging  these  claims  by  a  treaty,  it  is  not  to  be 
tolerated  that  another  quarter  of  a  century  is  to  be  wasted 
in  negotiating  about  the  payment."  And  he  recommended 
"  that  a  law  be  passed,  authorizing  reprisals  upon  French 
property  i'n  case  provisions  shall  not  be  made  for  the  pay- 
ment of  the  debt,  at  the  approaching  session  of  the  French 
Chambers.'' 

'•  You  will  perceive  from  the  Message,"  writes  Mr.  Baird 
on  the  5th  of  December,  "  that  there  is  some  prospect  of  an 
unhappy  collision  between  our  Government  and  that  of 
France.  But  I  presume  tliat  these  things  will  not  stand 
in  the  way  of  our  going,  inasmuch  as  it  is  not  apprehended 
that  there  will  be  any  immediate  difficulty.  Let  us  hope 
and  pray  that  our  Heavenly  Father  will  interpose  and  pre- 
vent anything  like  a  war  from  taking  place." 

A  glance  at  the  instructions  which  Mr.  Baird  received 
from  the  committee  of  the  French  Association,  when  about 
to  set  out  upon  his  mission,  is  sufficient  to  establish  the  ex- 
tent of  the  duties  confided  to  him,  and  the  importance  of  the 
matters  that  were  left  to  his  discretion.  He  was  requested 
at  once  upon  his  arrival  at  Paris  to  call  upon  the  most  prom-^ 
inent  and  active  Christian  gentlemen  living  at  Paris,  both 
Englishmen  and  Americans.  He  was  to  learn  what  wer^ 
their  feelings  respecting  the  English- American  chapel.  He 
was  directed  to  express  to  the  officers  of  the  various  benev- 
olent societies  the  lively  interest  which  was  "  felt  by  Amer- 
ican Christians  in  the  success  of  their  labors,  and  their  dis- 
position to  aid  them  by  their  contributions  and  their 
prayers  ;'*  while  disclaiming  "  the  slightest  disposition  to 
dictate  as  to  the  measures  in  which  those  labors  shall  be  J 
prosecuted."  It  was  the  desire  of  the  committee  that  he 
should  "  form  an  early  acquaintance  with  the  evangelical 
French  pastors  who  reside  in  Paris,  among  whom  are  F. 


INSTR  UGTI0N8.  g  i 

Monocl  fls,  J.  Chasseur,  H.  Pyt,  Grandpierre,  Audebez,  and 
others  of  like  character,  whose  zeal  and  purity  of  life  render 
them  most  deserving  of  our  fraternal  affection."  At  the  same 
time  he  was  reminded  of  the  advantage  that  would  accrue 
in  the  prosecution  of  his  work,  from  the  co-operation  of 
such  laymen  as  Admiral  Ver  Huell  and  M.  Lutteroth. 

Nor  was  he  to  confine  his  investigation  into  the  spiritual 
wants  of  the  country,  and  the  best  methods  of  relieving 
them,  to  the  single  city  of  Paris.  Other  parts  of  France 
claimed  his  attention,  and  especially  Lyons,  "  where  he 
would  find  a  tried  servant  of  the  Lord  in  the  Rev.  Adolphe 
Monod."  It  would  be  well  to  inquire  on  the  spot  whether] 
new  Sunday  Schools  could  not  be  founded,  and  additional 
evangelists  be  employed.  He  was  directed  further  to  see 
whether  there  were  not  pastors  whose  inadequate  support  from 
Government,  or  from  voluntary  contributions,  impaired  their  , 
efficiency,  by  compelling  them  to  engage  in  secular  pursuits, 
but  whom  a  small  annual  sum  might  enable  to  devote  their 
entire  strength  to  their  higher  calling  ;  and  to  investigate 
the  propriety  of  establishing  schools,  the  advantages  and 
disadvantages  of  the  system  of  colportage,  the  feasibility  of 
sending  a  few  devoted  young  Americans  to  study  in  France 
or  at  Geneva,  in  order  to  qualify  them  for  preaching  accep- 
tably to  French  audiences,  or  of  educating  pious  French- 
men in  the  United  States  for  the  same  purpose.  Finally, 
after  reminding  him  of  the  unfortunate  misunderstanding 
between  the  Governments  of  the  two  nations,  and  the  great 
service  that  he  could  render  his  native  land,  by  sedulous 
search  for  "  suitable  ministers  to  labor  among  the  Swiss 
and  German  emigrants  in  the  West,"  the  Committee  conj 
eludes  :  "  We  look  to  the  results  of  your  labors  with  groat 
hopes,  and  (we  would  not  conceal  it)  with  great  solicitude. 
The  singular  ability  and  success  with  which  you  have  con- 
ducted the  agencies  hitherto  entrusted  to  you,  have  been 
such  as  to  inspire  us  with  the  strongest  confidence ;  indeed. 


92  LIFE  OF  RET.  BE.  BAIRD. 

your  past  life  appears  to  us,  in  many  respects,  a  providential 
education  for  the  important  duties  on  which  you  are  now 
entering." 

On  the  26th  of  February,  1835,  Mr.  Baird  embarked  at 
New  York  with  his  family,  on  the  ship  Poland.  Of  the 
trip  to  Havre,  which  occupied  eighteen  days,  he  wrote  :  "  I 
will  not  attempt  to  describe  very  particularly  my  voyage. 
It  was  short,  stormy,  and,  of  course,  sufficiently  rough.  As 
to  the  miseries  of  sea-sickness,  I  can  say  but  little,  inasmuch 
as  I  was  mercifully  preserved  from  them.  The  weather  was 
such  as  to  render  it  impossible  to  enjoy  ocean  scenery.  Yet 
there  was  much  to  interest  my  feelings.  There  is  a  strange 
sense  of  the  insignificance  of  man  which  constantly  steals 
over  me,  when  looking  out  on  the  wide  ocean,  and  behold- 
ing nothing  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  but  rolling  waves 
and  the  encircling  heavens, 

Coelum  undique,  et  undiqiie  Pontus. 

How  forcibly  is  one  reminded,  when  thus  placed  in  the 
power,  as  it  were,  of  the  elements — of  his  utter  dependence 
on  that  Great  Being,  in  whose  hands  are  both  the  winds 
and  the  waves !" 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CONDITION  OF  PROTESTANTISM  IN  FRANCE  AT  THE  PERIOD  OF 
HIS  ARRIVAL.  REVIVAL  OF  RELIGION  SINCE  THE  RECOGNI- 
TION OF  THE  REFORMED  CHURCHES  BY  THE  STATE.  BIBLE, 
HOME,  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES  INSTITUTED. 
MR.  BAIRD'S  VIEW  OF  THE  MOST  EFFICIENT  METHOD  OF 
OPERATIONS  IN  FRANCE.  HIS  LABORS.  "  SATURDAY  EVEN- 
ING  MEETINGS." 

1835-1838. 

ON  his  arrival  at  Paris,  Mr.  Baird  was  received  with 
great  cordiality  by  many  Protestant  gentlemen,  both 
native  and  foreign  residents,  who  rejoiced  in  the  prospect 
that  American  Christians  would  permanently  interest  them- 
selves in  the  resuscitation  of  the  truth  in  France. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  write  the  condition  of  evangel- 
ical religion  in  France  was  such  as  to  afford  much  reason 
for  encouragement,  in  consequence  of  the  decided  progress 
which  was  everywhere  noticeable.  Yet  coldness  still  per- 
vaded a  great  portion  of  the  Protestant  Church,  which  sad- 
dened the  heart  of  those  who  remembered  the  high  hopes 
entertained  by  the  reformers.  The  Huguenots,  whom 
neither  the  cruel  persecutions  nor  the  fiery  civil  wars  of  the 
sixteenth  century  had  been  able  to  exterminate,  after  a  brief 
period  of  partial  toleration,  had  been  vexed  with  restric- 
tions ever  more  and  more  stringent.  At  length  the  series 
of  perfidious  violations  of  solemn  engagements  had  culmi- 
nated in  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  by  a  formal 

93 


94  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BATED. 

abrogation  of  all  the  riglit?  of  the  members  of  the  "pre- 
tended reformed  religion,"  as  tlieir  faith  was  contemptuously 
designated  by  their  oppressoi^.  They  were  now  bidden  to 
conform  to  the  established  religion,  and  were  not  even  al- 
lowed the  poor  alternative  of  voluntary  expatriation.  If 
several  hundred  thousand  Protestants  succeeded  in  reaching 
foreign  lands,  with  little  of  their  wealth,  but  with  the  in- 
dustry and  skill  that  had  enriched  their  native  country,  it 
was  only  by  eluding  the  vigilance  of  the  cordon  of  soldiers 
which  encircled  them,  and  guarded  the  frontiers.  Their 
beloved  pastors,  whose  pious  counsels  were  so  needful  to 
sustain  their  faith,  were  driven  into  exile  with  the  threat, 
not  unfrequently  put  into  execution,  that  their  return  to 
France  would  subject  them  to  an  ignominious  and  excruciat- 
ing death.  Such  continued  to  be  the  depressed  condition 
of  Protestantism  till  the  very  moment  when  the  insane  fury 
of  the  leaders  of  the  revolution,  in  the  first  transports  of 
successful  reaction  against  priestly  assumption  and  arro- 
gance, led  them  to  attempt  the  subversion  of  all  the  forms 
and  ordinances  of  religion.  "  It  was  not  until  the  iron  des- 
potism of  Bonaparte  reduced  this  chaos  to  order,"  writes 
Mr.  Baird  in  a  letter  to  the  Boston  JRecorder  (December  16, 
1835),  "  that  the  Protestants  knew  what  it  was,  in  some 
good  degree,  to  enjoy  their  rights.  But  where  were  they 
then  ?  Persecuted  and  trodden  under  foot  for  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years,  is  it  wonderful  that  they  did  not  exceed  a 
million  and  a  half  in  numbers,  or  that  the  light  of  the  pure 
Gospel  was  flickering  in  the  socket?  On  the  contrary,  is 
it  not  amazing  that  it  was  not  wholly  extinguished  ?  Every 
effort  had  been  made  to  detach  the  children  of  Protestants 
from  the  religion  of  their  fathers.  The  avenues  to  honor 
and  wealth,  in  almost  all  offices  under  the  government,  had 
been  closed  to  them  during  the  greater  portion  of  these 
two  centuries  and  a  half.  But  during  that  same  mournful 
period,  the  church  of  Christ  in  this  land  had  the  honor  of 


INFIDELITY  m  TEE  CHURCH. 


95 


furnishing  more  martyrs  to  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  than 
all  the  rest  of  Christendom." 

"  Even  after  the  overthrow  of  the  Empire,  and  the  resto- 
ration of  the  Bourbons,  the  oppression  of  the  Protestants 
was  recommenced,  and  some  eight  or  ten  thousand  of  them 
were  murdered  in  the  riots  excited  against  them  in  the  south 
of  France,  by  the  fanaticism  of  the  Catholics,  during  1818, 
'19,  and  '20.  And  it  was  not  until  the  occurrence  of  the 
late  revolution  of  1830  that  this  people,  'peeled  and  scat- 
tered,' and  long  trodden  under  foot,  were  reinstated  in  the 
full  possession  and  enjoyment  of  their  rights." 

But  persecution  and  other  causes  had  not  been  altogether 
favorable  to  the  internal  purity  of  the  church,  "A  defec- 
tion from  sound  doctrine,  and  a  consequent  declension  in 
vital  piety,  had  begun  to  pervade  the  Protestant  Churches 
on  the  continent,  before  the  middle  of  the  last  century.  In 
this  lamentable  departure  from  the  truth  and  power  of  the 
Gospel,  the  Protestant  Church  of  France  shared  too  largely. 
So  destitute  of  piety  was  its  ministry,  when  the  revolution 
of  1789  began  to  send  the  surges  of  infidelity  throughout 
the  realm,  that  not  a  few  of  its  members  united  with  their 
Catholic  brethren  in  embracing  open  infidelity  !  Of  those 
who  did  not  apostatize,  many  preached  nothing  but  moral 
lectures,  in  which  the  great  doctrines  of  the  Cross  found 
no  place.  One  of  the  oldest  and  best  of  the  evangelical 
pastors  now  living,  told  the  writer,  a  few  months  since,  that 
when  he  entered  the  ministry  he  actually  knew  some  minis- 
ters who  had  no  Bible  in  their  study,  and  whose  chief  au- 
thors were  Voltaire  and  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau !  He  him- 
self was  not  a  converted  man  until  years  after  he  had 
entered  the  pulpit.  And  so  low  was  the  state  of  evangel- 
ical religion,  that  in  1817  there  were  not  known  to  be  more 
than  fom-  or  five  clergymen  who  preached  the  doctrines  of 
the  Gospel  fully." 

Such  a  declension  was  indeed  deplorable  ;  but  the  gener- 


g6  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

ation  that  liad  passed  since  the  Protestant  Church  had  re- 
ceived, through  Napoleon's  influence,  official  recognition, 
had  witnessed  a  marvelous  change.  Many  of  the  uncon- 
verted and  worldly  young  men  who  had  flocked  into  the 
ministry,  in  order  to  ocoupy  the  pastorates  which  the  gov- 
ernment now  undertook  to  support,  had  been  succeeded  by 
men  of  higher  principle  who  assumed  the  sacred  office  with 
the  intention  of  laboring  earnestly  for  tlie  salvation  of  men. 
The  number  of  churche?  had  also  increased.  The  appro- 
priations made  from  the  national  treasury,  in  1836,  for  the 
maintenance  of  religious  worship  during  the  succeeding 
year,  contained  the  item  of  890,000  francs,  or  §166,875,  for 
the  support  of  366  pastors  of  the  Reformed  Church,  and 
230  of  the  Augsburg  Confe'sion  (Lutheran) — that  is  to  say, 
596  Protestant  pastors  in  all.^  And  besides  the  established 
Protestant  churches,  whose  pastors  were  appointed,  and,  in 
part,  salaried  by  the  State,  there  were  a  few  independent 
chapels,  in  which  the  Gospel  was  preached  with  great 
purity. 

It  is  interesting  to  see  the  advance  of  evangelical  religion 
in  the  capital  itself.  Paris,  in  1835,  boasted  of  only  three 
National  Protestant  Churches,  as  we  learn  from  a  letter  of 
Mr.  Baird,  of  January  13,  1836.  Two  of  these  were  Ee- 
formed — the  Oratoire  and  the  church  of  Ste.  Marie,  in  the 
Rue  du  Temple.  Five  pastors  preached  in  succession  in 
these  two  edifices,  and  in  a  suburban  church  at  the  Batig- 
noUes.  Until  recently,  all  these  clergymen  had  been  op- 
posed to  evangelical  truth  ;  but  within  a  few  years,  two  of 
a  more  ScripturcJ  faith  had  been  appointed — Rev.  Frederic 
Monod  and  Rev.  M.  Juillerat.  Of  the  remaining  three, 
one — the  Rev.  M.  Coquerel,  a  man  of  great  talents,  very 
popular  as  a  preacher,  and  the  editor  of  the  paper  Le  Libre 

*  At  the  same  time  34,076,600  francs,  or  $6,389,362,  were  appropriated 
to  the  support  of  30,429  priests  and  dignitaries  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church. 


PROTESTANTISM  IN  PARIS.  97 

Examen — was  considered  a  decided  rationalist  of  the  Ger- 
man school.  Thus  were  the  Protestants  of  Paris  condemned 
to  listen  to  erroneous  teaching  for  three  Sundays  out  of 
every  five  ;  and  much  of  the  good  that  was  done  by  the 
preaching  of  the  evangelical  teachers  was  liable  to  be  coun- 
teracted by  that  of  their  heterodox  colleagues.  "  With  re- 
gard to  the  church  of  the  Augsburg  Confession,  or  Luthe- 
ran, in  the  Rue  des  Billettes,"  writes  Mr.  Baird,  "  I  am 
sorry  to  say  that  it  is  in  a  worse  state  than  are  the  churches 
of  the  Reformed.  There  are  three  pastors  attached  to  that 
church,  none  of  whom  are  reckoned  to  be  strictly  evangel- 
ical. The  number  of  Germans  in  this  city  is  about  fifteen 
thousand,  of  whom  not  more  than  two  hundred,  it  is  said, 
attend  tliat  church.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  few  of  the  others 
go  to  any  place  of  Protestant  worship." 

But  besides  these  churches  sustained  by  grants  from  the 
national  treasury,  there  were  five  places  in  the  great  French 
metropolis  in  which  there  was  evangelical  preaching  in  the 
vernacular,  supported  by  the  voluntary  contributions  of 
those  who  found  their  spiritual  wants  unsatisfied  in  the  es- 
tablishment ;  besides  four  English  Protestant  services  for 
the  benefit  of  visitors  from  Great  Britain  and  America. 
Undoubtedly  the  most  important  of  the  independent  French 
chapels  was  that  in  the  Rue  Taitbout,  under  the  pastoral 
charge  of  Messrs.  Grandpierre  and  Audebez,  men  of  warm 
piety,  and,  as  Mr.  Baird  tells  us,  among  the  very  best  preach- 
ers he  had  ever  heard.  Their  labors  had  been  blessed. 
Their  congregation  crowded  the  hall  in  which  worship  was 
held  ;  some  of  their  hearers  were  very  distinguished  and 
influential  persons,  and  a  large  number  of  the  members  of 
their  church  had  been  converted  from  Romanism  within  the 
past  three  or  four  years.  In  another  part  of  the  city,  the 
religious  instruction  given  to  the  elder  pupils  of  a  school, 
had  paved  the  way  for  a  service  to  which  the  parents  of  the 
children  had  been  gradually  attracted.  Faitliful  and  pru- 
7 


g^  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  DAIRD. 

dent  efforts  had  been  rewarded  by  the  gathering  of  an  au- 
dience weekly  to  hear  the  Gospel,  composed  of  persons  who 
were,  or  had  lately  been,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  Roman 
Catholics. 

As  evangelical  Christianity  began  to  revive  in  France,  it 
evinced  its  vitality  by  the  institution  of  a  number  of  those 
benevolent  agencies  which  Christian  experience  all  over 
the  globe  has  discovered  to  be  indispensable  at  the  pres- 
ent day  to  the  efficient  exertion  of  the  energies  of  the 
Church.  First,  as  might  be  anticipated,  came  a  French 
Bible  Society — soon  to  be  followed  by  another,  the  French  /../l^' 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  when  it  was  found  that  the  fatal 
mistake  had  been  made  of  committina"  the  manaa-ement  of 
the  former  to  persons  of  high  official  position,  but  of  little 
religious  activity.  Each  of  these  had  its  numerous  auxili- 
aries in  the  departments.  Next  a  Tract  Society  was  insti- 
tuted. Tlien,  as  the  first  instinct  of  a  genuine  piety  invari- 
ably prompts  him  in  whose  bosom  it  is  planted  to  a  world- 
wide charity,  a  "  Society  of  Evangelical  Missions  among 
non-Christian  nations,"  was  established  at  Paris  in  the  year 
of  1823.  "  It  is  a  fact  of  much  interest  to  Americans," 
says  Mr.  Baird,  "  that  it  owes  its  existence,  under  God,  in 
a  great  degree  to  American  effort."  The  Rev.  Jonas  King, 
who  had  been  for  some  years  at  Paris  studying  the  Arabic 
under  De  Sacy,  with  the  view  of  qualifying  himself  for  a 
professorship  in  Amherst  College  to  which  he  had  been 
appointed,  received  a  letter  containing  a  powerful  appeal 
from  Mr.  Fish  to  come  to  Palestine  and  supply  the  place 
left  vacant  by  the  death  of  the  lamented  Parsons.  The 
mind  of  the  young  scholar  had  been  already  impressed 
with  the  importance  of  the  missionary  service,  and  the  let- 
ter of  his  friend  came  to  him  as  a  message  from  heaven. 
Before  starl  ing  on  his  mission,  which  was  limited  at  first  to 
three  years,  Mr.  King  succeeded  in  interesting  the  French, 
English  and  American  Christians  at  Paris  in  his  work,  and 


FRENCH  MISSIONAR Y  SOCIETIES.  99 

in  laying  the  foundation  of  this  important  missionary  or- 
ganization, of  which  he  became  the  first  missionar}-.  From 
this  small  beginning  the  French  Missionary  Society  had 
grown  until,  in  1835,  it  had  a  missionary  institute  at  Paris, 
a  missionary  station  in  Southern  Africa,  and  an  income  of 
about  ST, 125.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  add,  that  in  1863, 
the  number  of  its  missionaries  was  fourteen,  with  nine  sta- 
tions and  nearly  fourteen  hundred  converts  from  among  the 
heathen,  and  its  receipts  were  not  much  less  than  five  times 
as  large  as  'they  had  been  twenty-eight  years  before.  This 
circumstance  may  serve  as  a  partial  measure  of  the  growth 
of  effective  Protestantism  in  France  during  the  period  in 
which  Mr.  Baird  was  more  or  less  intimately  connected 
with  the  work  of  advancing  the  revival  of  religion  in  that 
country. 

Of  more  recent  origin  was  the  Evangelical  Society  of 
Paris,  with  which  Mr.  Baird  in  his  labors  in  France  was 
destined  to  stand  in  much  closer  connection.  "  The  Evan- 
gelical Society  of  Paris,"  says  Mr.  Baird  in  another  letter 
to  the  Boston  Becorder,  written  from  the  French  capital, 
April  4,  1836,  "was  formed  about  three  years  ago.  The 
formation  was  suggested  by  the  French  Committee  of  New 
York,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Eleazar  Lord,  Arthur  Tappan 
and  S.  y.  S.  Wilder,  appointed  at  a  public  meeting  in  that 
city  some  four  years  ago,  after  the  return  of  the  Rev.  Jolm 
Proudfit  from  Europe.  Other  circumstances,  besides  the 
proposition  of  that  little  committee,  concurred  to  lead  the 
friends  of  Christ  in  France  to  form  such  a  Society."  Its 
objects  were  principally  these  :  to  employ  pastors  to  min- 
ister to  churches  too  poor  to  sustain  them  by  their  own 
efforts ;  to  support  evangelists  while  building  up  new 
churches  ;  to  assist  in  the  erection  of  new  church  edifices, 
or  in  hiring  suitable  chapels  ;  to  institute  schools  ;  and  to 
educate  and  send  forth  colporteurs  to  distribute  the  Bible 
and  other  religious  works,  and  give  instruction  to  the  peo- 


100  LIFE  OF  REV.  LR.  BAIIW. 

pie  in  a  familiar  way.  But  the  operations  of  this  Society, 
like  those  of  the  other  Protestant  benevolent  agencies  in 
France,  were  still  on  a  very  contracted  scale.  Instead  of 
scores  of  colporteurs, "  the  Society,'' writes  Mr.  Baird  in  1836, 
"  now  employ  six  or  seven  of  these  laborers,  who  sell  some 
thousands  of  copies  of  the  Scriptures,  tracts  and  books." 

Such  were  the  principal  native  associations.  Beside 
these,  the  Continental  Society  (since  known  as  the  Europ- 
ean Missionary  Society),  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society 
of  England,  and  the  American  Baptist  Mission-ary  Society, 
supported  altogether  some  thirty-five  or  forty  laborers  in 
that  country.  The  very  efficient  Evangelical  Society  of 
Geneva  must  also  be  mentioned,  with  its  excellent  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  and  its  thirty  evangelists  and  colpor- 
teurs in  several  of  the  eastern  departments  of  the  kingdom. 

Such  was  the  position  of  evangelical  Protestantism  in 
France,  and  such  the  instrumentalities,  native  and  foreign, 
already  put  into  operation  for  the  advancement  of  the  Gos- 
Ipel  there,  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Baird's  arrival  at  Paris.  His 
attention  was  naturally  given,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  con- 
sideration of  the  practicability  of  the  difiusion  of  Protestant- 
ism in  France  by  meansj^fLAsiericanJabor  and  funds.  He 
accordingly  soon  discovered  that  the  present  state  oTTrance 
was  such,  in  consequence  of  the  more  liberal  tone  of  the 
government  since  the  revolution  of  July,  1830,  that  more 
open  and  direct  attempts  at  reaching  the  Roman  Catholic 
population  would  be  tolerated,  than  were  possible  before 
the  overthrow  of  the  older  branch  of  the  Bourbons.  Xo 
general  scheme  of  resistance  was  to  be  expected.  The  oppo- 
sition would  take  the  form  of  vexatious  annoyances  on  the 
part  of  local  authorities — the  prefects  of  departments  and 
the  mayors  of  the  communes — at  the  instigation  of  the 
clergy.  And  caution  was  to  be  observed  chiefly  in  the 
avoidance  of  even  the  appearance  of  conflict  with  laws 
which,  if  in  any  way  susceptible  of  a  hostile  interpretation, 


sow  TO  EVA^^GELIZE  FRANCE.  loi 

would  certainly  be  Derverted,  from  tlieir  orio-inal  intention, 
in  order  to  throw  hindrances  in  the  way  of  evangelical 
labors. 

But  ought  the  American  Churches  to  attempt  a  separate 
organization,  and  employ  their  own  missionaries  in  France, 
or  ought  they  to  become  simple  auxiliaries,  leaving  the 
choice  of  men  and  fields  to  the  brethren  upon  the  ground, 
and  confining  themselves  to  the  task  of  furnishing  the. 
needful  means?  This  was  a  vital  question,  affecting  the 
entire  polic}^  to  be  adopted.  Mr.  Baird  examined  it  with 
becoming  carefulness  and  deliberation,  consulting  freely  the 
Christians  upon  whose  judgment  he  could  rely  with  the 
greatest  confidence,  and  making  himself  familiar  with  their 
views  and  experience.  And  the  opinion  at  which  he  ar- 
rived, and  whose  correctness  he  never  had  anv  occasion  to 
doubt  was,  that  foreign  Churches  could  take  a  more  effec- 
tive share  in  the  evangelization  of  France  by  acting  through 
existing  organizations,  than  by  attempting  any  separate 
operations.  He  believed  that  the  native  Christians  of  any 
country  so  highly  civilized  as  France  were  in  general  much 
more  likely  to  be  intimately  acquainted  with  the  true  spirit- 
ual necessities  of  the  people,  with  the  relative  promise  of  dif- 
ferent portions  of  the  field,  and  with  the  best  methods  to  be 
adopted  for  accomplishing  the  objects  aimed  at,  than  a  com- 
mittee or  board  at  the  distance  of  three  thousand  miles,  and 
deriving  all  its  impressions  of  the  actual  state  of  things 
from  others*-  He  was  no  less  strongly  persuaded  that  the 
cases  in  which  a  foreign  clergyman  or  colporteur  could 
labor  as  effectively  as  a  native,  perhaps  himself  a  convert 
from  the  ranks  of  Romanism,  were  only  exceptions  to  the 
general  rule.  A  long  course  of  years  would  not  suffice  to 
render  an  adult,  if  born  abroad,  so  ready  and  exact  in  his 
command  of  the  French  language  and  pronunciation  as  to 
be  acceptable  to  a  French  congregation.  National  jealousy 
might  not  be  so  serious  an  impediment  in  the  way  of  an 


102  LIFE  OF  EEV.  DR.  BAIIW. 

American  as  in  that  of  an  Englishman  ;  yet  the  truth  would 
meet  with  a  cold  reception  when  coming  from  a  foreign 
apostle  to  those  who  prided  themselves  on  belonging  to 
a  nation  at  once  the  most  Christian,  the  most  enlightened, 
and  the  most  polite  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  And  apart 
from  the  consideration  of  language  and  nationality,  it 
must  be  conceded  that  there  is  a  tact  manifested  by  the 
French,  especially  in  dealing  with  their  own  countrymen, 
which  a  stranger  to  their  manners,  their  traditions,  and 
their  modes  of  thought,  cannot  be  supposed  to  possess. 

Much  of  Mr.  Baird's  time  was  necessarily  occupied  in 
making  himself  familiar  with  the  destitution  of  the  Gospel 
that  prevailed  around  him,  and  in  acquainting  the  commit- 
tee, under  whose  auspices  he  had  gone  out,  with  its  extent 
and  the  best  means  for  removing  it.  Besides  this  special 
work,  he  interested  himself  in  procuring  grants  of  books 
from  the  American  Bible  and  Tract  Societies,  as  they  were 
required  for  distribution  in  France.  In  these  departments 
of  labor,  however,  his  exertions  were  so  multifarious  that 
they  can  scarcely  be  described  in  this  connection. 

The  spiritual  wants  of  the  Americans  sojourning  at  Paris, 
and  more  especially  their  deprivation  of  those  opportunities 
of  social  intercourse  of  a  religious  character,  to  which  many 
of  them  had  been  accustomed  at  home,  appealed  to  the  heart 
of  Mr.  Baird,  and  induced  him  to  establish  a  regular  gath- 
ering at  his  own  house  which  was  kept  up  during  the  entire 
stay  at  the  French  capital,  from  1835  to  1842,  the  only  in- 
terruption of  importance  that  occurred  being  in  1839  and 
'40,  whilst  Mr.  Baird  was  in  America.  Every  Saturday 
evenino:  a  considerable  number  of  Americans,  with  some 
English  persons,  and  occasionally  a  few  of  other  nations, 
met  in  his  parlor.  An  hour  was  spent  in  devotional  exer- 
cises. Mr.  Baird  or  some  other  clergyman  conducted  the 
services,  which  consisted  of  short  prayers,  singing  and  med- 
itations upon  the  Holy  Scriptures.     Some  book  of  the  New 


"  SATUHDAT  EVENING  MEETINGS:'  105 

Testament — the  Gospel  of  St.  John,  the  Acts,  or  the  Epistle 
to  the  Romans,  for  instance — was  taken  up,  and  a  chapter 
in  course  furnished  the  theme  of  the  evening.  Af^er  some 
introductory  words  of  an  exegetical  or  practical  char- 
acter, an  opportunity  was  given  to  all  present  to  ask  ques- 
tions, or  to  make  remarks  tending  to  the  elucidation  of  the 
passage,  or  to  its  personal  improveinent.  The  exercises 
were  so  regulated  that,  while  nothing  of  an  irregular  or 
captious  nature  was  permitted,  the  utmost  freedom  consist- 
ent with  decorum  and  reverence  prevailed.  After  the  ter- 
mination of  the  religious  services,  the  greater  part  of  those 
present  remained  to  spend  another  hour  in  pleasant  conver- 
sation. It  was  the  oft-repeated  testimony  of  many  that  no 
incident  in  their  foreign  travel  had  more  forcibly  reminded 
them  of  home,  and  dispelled  the  feeling  of  loneliness  which 
those  especially  must  endure  who  are  journeying  alone, 
than  their  presence  at  these  informal  "  Saturday  Evening 
MeetinQ:s."  And  there  were  some  that  had  come  abroad 
without  any  decided  religious  impressions,  who  here,  in  the 
apartment  of  one  to  whom  they  had  until  lately  been  entire 
strangers,  were  first  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  vital 
power  of  Christianity,  and  who  blessed  God  for  having  put 
it  into  the  heart  of  one  of  their  own  countrymen  to  establish 
such  a  meeting  in  one  of  the  most  worldly  capitals  of 
Europe. 

Mr.  Baird's  labors  in  behalf  of  his  countrymen  were  not. 
however,  confined  to  these  social  gatherings.  Rev.  Mark 
Wilks,  an  English  clergyman  who  had  come  to  France  for 
benevolent  purposes,  had  revived  an  English  service  which 
was  originally  instituted  by  Rev.  Mr.  Bruen  in  1817,  and 
had  maintained  it  until  Mr.  Baird's  arrival.  "  It  was  prob- 
ably," says  Mr.  Baird,  "  the  first  regular  Evangelical  service 
commenced  in  the  English  language.  At  that  time  (in  1819) 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  find  an  evangelical  French 
Christian.     By  patient  continuance  in  well-doing,  he  has 


104  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

seen  a  great  change  take  place — a  change  which  is,  how- 
ever, only  introductory,  1  hope,  to  a  far  greater  and  more 
oflorioiis  one."  On  account  of  the  countenance  which  was 
given  to  this  enterprise  by  some  of  the  diplomatic  repre- 
sentatives of  the  United  States,  it  was  known  as  "  the  ser- 
vice of  tlie  American  Embassy."  During  the  absence  of 
Mr.  Wilks  in  the  summer  of  1835,  and,  we  believe,  during 
some  succeeding  seasons,  his  place  was  supplied  by  Mr. 
Baird.  More  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  persons,  English 
and  Americans,  attended  this  service  during  the  summer 
referred  to,  many  of  whom  would  otherwise  have  been  for 
several  months  deprived  of  the  opportunity  of  hearing  the 
Gospel. 

During  his  first  year's  residence  at  Paris  Mr.  Baird  wrote, 
for  private  circulation  rather  than  for  publication,  as  he 
states  in  the  introduction,  a  "  Memoir  of  the  Rev.  Joseph 
Sanford,  A.  M.,  Pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church, 
Philadelphia,"  an  interesting  biography  which  appeared  in 
1836. 


OHAPTEPv    X. 

INTEREST  FELT  BY  REV.  MR.  BAIRD  IX  THE  TEMPERANCE  RE- 
FORM. HE  WRITES  A  HISTORY  OF  TEMPERANCE  SOCIETIES 
IN  THE  UNITED  STATES,  WHICH  IS  PUBLISHED  IN  FRENCH. 
UNDERTAKES  A  VISIT  TO  NORTHERN  EUROPE  IN  BEHALF  OF 
TEMPERANCE.  LONDON.  LETTER  TO  LORD  BROUGHAM. 
HAMBURG.       COPENHAGEN. 

1836. 

THE  great  Temperance  Reformation  in  the  United  States 
had  elicited,  from  its  very  commencement,  Mr.  Baird's 
cordial  approval  and  interest.  In  fact  he  had  been,  in  a 
certain  sense,  as  the  reader  has  already  seen,  a  pioneer  in 
the  movement ;  for,  long  before  total  abstinence  had  been 
suggested,  and  while  as  yet  he  had  not  even  heard  the  men- 
tion of  temperance  societies,  the  fearful  effects  of  whisky 
drinking,  as  he  witnessed  them  among  his  father's  neigh- 
bors, had  produced  so  thorough  a  conviction  of  the  objec- 
tionable character  of  the  practice,  that  he  had  renounced 
all  forms  of  intoxicating  liquors,  and  discountenanced  their 
use  by  his  friends  and  associates.  It  was  therefore  natural 
for  him  to  watch  with  the  most  devout  gratitude  the  gradual 
development  of  Christian  public  sentiment,  as  it  slowly  but 
surely  came  to  the  position  that,  in  view  of  the  flagrant 
abuses  which  even  a  moderate  employment  of  ardent  spirits 
as  a  beverage  seemed  to  encourage,  the  only  proper  course, 
even  for  those  who  esteemed  themselves  too  strong  to  be 

(105) 


io6  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

led  astray,  was  to  be  found  in  entire  renunciation  of  their 
use,  in  deference  to  the  frailty  of  tlieir  weaker  brethren. 
Mr.  Baird  had  kept  himself  well  informed  in  respect 
to  the  wonderful  progress  of  the  American  Temperance 
Society  and  its  affiliated  organizations,  from  the  foundation 
of  the  former,  on  the  13th  of  February,  1826,  to  the  date 
of  his  departure  for  Europe,  when  such  associations  in  the 
United  States  were  to  be  counted  by  thousands,  and  their 
members  by  hundreds  of  thousands.  He  had  not  been  long- 
in  France  before  he  became  convinced  that  a  similar  refor- 
mation was  needed  on  the  continent ;  nor  did  any  more 
feasible  plan  for  the  accomplishment  of  good  in  this  direc- 
tion present  itself,  than  was  suggested  by  the  lack  of  any 
sufficiently  authentic  account  of  the  progress  of  temperance 
principles  in  America.  Several  esteemed  friends  urged  him 
to  supply  this  want.  "  You  have  already  been  informed," 
he  writes  to  John  Tappan,  Esq.,  in  a  report  dated  Paris, 
Sept.  21,  1836,  "  that  it  was  at  the  suggestion,  and  even  re- 
quest, of  the  late  Hon.  Edward ^  Livingston,  who  was  the 
American  Ambassador  at  this  Court  when  I  arrived  in 
France  (in  March,  1835),  as  well  as  that  of  several  excel- 
lent Frencli  gentlemen,  that  I  undertook  to  prepare  a  work 
which  should  embrace  a  brief  history  of  the  Temperance 
Societies  of  the  United  States  and  other  countries,  togetlier 
with  as  full  a  view  of  the  principles  of  such  societies  and  of 
the  facts  and  arguments  by  which  these  principles  are  es- 
tablished, as  could  be  included  in  a  volume  of  moderate 
size.  The  wide  diffusion  of  information  respecting  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  moral  enterprises  which  the  world  has 
ever  witnessed,  by  means  of  a  language  which  is  read  by 
almost  every  well-educated  man  in  Europe,  was  the  motive 
which  suggested  the  publication  of  this  work.  A  minor, 
but  still  important  consideration,  was  the  hope  that  such  a 
work  might  be  the  means  of  awaking  France  to  the  evils  of 
the  increasing  use  of  brandy  and  other  intoxicating  liquors 


HISTORY  OF  TEMPERANCE  SOCIETIES.  107 

in  all  the  nortliern,  and  especially  all  the  manufacturing 
cities  and  villa o-es  of  the  kino'dom." 

With  such  objects  in  view,  Mr.  Baird  prepared  during 
the  winter  of  1835-6,  and  caused  to  be  translated  and  pub- 
lished at  Paris  in  an  octavo  volume  of  263  pages,  his  work 
entitled  ''  Histoire  des  Societes  de  Temperance  des  Etats 
Unis  d'Amerique."  This  history  was  rendered  far  more 
valuable  by  incorporating  in  it,  though  without  destroying 
its  unity,  the  most  important  of  the  treatises  and  permanent 
documents  accompanying  the  reports  of  the  American  Tem- 
perance Society.  An  edition  of  over  two  thousand  copies 
was  printed  and  distributed  among  the  most  influential  men 
of  France  and  other  countries ;  the  expense  being  defrayed 
by  a  grant  obtained  for  the  purpose  from  that  society.  Ke- 
spectiug  the  results  of  the  reading  of  this  work  in  France. 
Switzerland  and  other  portions  of  western  and  southern 
Europe,  little  need  be  said  in  this  place,  except  that  they 
were  highly  encouraging.  From  the  island  of  Jersey,  for 
instance,  whither  a  few  copies  were  sent,  Mr.  Baird  writes 
that  he  received  the  most  gratifying  accounts  of  their  having 
been  already  the  means  of  doing  much  good.  But  the  story 
of  the  reception  of  this  work  in  northern  Europe,  and  of  the 
remarkable  reformation  which  appeared  to  have  been  direct- 
ly traceable  to  its  perusal,  especially  in  the  united  kingdoms 
of  Sweden  and  Norway,  will  require  considerable  notice  lq 
the  succeeding  pages  of  this  biography. 

The  accounts  of  the  fearful  prevalence  and  rapid  spread 
of  drunkenness  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  Scandinavian 
peninsulas,  and  in  Finland  and  Russia,  determined  him  to 
make  a  visit  to  northern  Europe  during  the  summer  months 
of  the  year  1836.  Accordingly,  near  the  end  of  April, 
leaving  his  family  at  Paris  he  started  for  London,  where  he 
spent  a  few  weeks,  chiefly  in  attendance  upon  the  anniver- 
saries of  the  principal  religious  societies.  Here  he  became 
acc|uainted  with  many  of  the  best  and  some  of  the  most  in- 


io8  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

fluential  men  in  tlie  English  capital.  With  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Reed,  the  Rev.  and  Hon.  Baptist  Noel,  and  other  eminent 
clergymen,  he  had  valuable  conferences  respecting  the  pro- 
gress of  the  truth  in  Europe.  At  the  anniversary  of  the  Con- 
gregational Union,  he  was  received,  as  he  informs  us  in  one 
of  his  letters,  as  a  delegate  from  France,  and  was  requested 
to  speak  of  the  moral  and  religious  condition  of  that  coun- 
try. His  visit  was  an  eminently  friendly  and  agreeable 
one  ;  and  this,  notwithstanding  an  attack  to  which  he  had 
been  subjected  in  one  of  the  professedly  religious  journals 
of  London,  in  consequence  of  a  defence  of  the  course  of 
Christians  in  the  United  States  which  he  had  published  un- 
der the  title  of  "A  Letter  to  Lord  Brougham  on  the  subject 
of  American  Slavery.  By  an  American."  (London,  1836.)  * 
One  of  his  most  pleasant  interviews  during  this  visit  to 
London  was  with  that  excellent  man,  the  Duke  of  Sussex. 
When  in  that  city  for  a  short  time  in  the  previous  year,  he 
had  presented  a  letter  of  introduction  to  his  royal  high- 
ness from  Mr.  Van  Buren,  then  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States,  and  shortly  after  elevated  to  the  presidential  chair. 
But  he  had  been  unable  to  obtain  an  opportunity  to  con- 
verse with  the  duke,  who  was  at  that  time  suffering  from  a 
failure  of  his  eyesight,  for  which  he  expected  to  shortly  un- 
dergo a  surgical  operation.  On  the  present  occasion,  Mr. 
Baird  was  more  successful.  The  duke  resided  at  Kensing- 
ton Palace,  under  whose  roof  the  Duchess  of  Kent  with  her 

*  The  positions  which  Mr.  Baird  attempted  to  establish  in  tins  pamphlet 
of  forty  four  pages  were  that,  contrary  to  the  belief  expressed  at  the  late 
Anniversary  of  the  Anti-slavery  Society,  at  which  Lord  Brougham  pre- 
sided, "the  people  of  the  United  States  are  neither  now,  nor  ever  have 
been,  contented  with  the  existence  of  slavery  amongst  them  ;  and  that 
there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  tlie  benevolent  anticipations  of  your 
lordship  will  be  realized,"  The  writer  traced  the  history  of  the  institu- 
tion of  slavery,  its  progress  and  its  abolition  in  the  fr^e  states,  and  gave 
reasons  for  hoping  tliat  their  example  would  soon  be  followed  in  the  re- 
mainder of  the  Union. 


VISIT  TO  THE  DVKE  OF  SUSSEX. 


109 


daughter,  the  Princess  Victoria,  still  lived.  While  waiting 
to  see  him,  Mr.  Baird  was  permitted  to  look  at  the  exten- 
sive grounds  attached  to  the  palace,  and  at  the  library  of 
the  duke,  the  most  attractive  portion  of  the  building.  It 
contaiaed  no  less  than  forty  thousand  volumes,  exclusive  of 
manuscripts.  "As  it  regards  Bibles  and  other  works  re- 
lating to  the  Christian  religion,"  writes  Mr.  Baird,  "  this 
library  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  in  the  world.  With 
the  exception  of  one  library  on  the  continent  (that  of  the 
King  of  Wurtemburg,  I  believe),  the  library  of  the  Duke 
of  Sussex  contains  the  greatest  collection  of  the  sacred 
Scriptures,  in  all  languages,  which  is  to  be  found  in  the 
world.  Here  are  eighteen  hundred  versions  and  editions, 
in  all  the  languages  in  which  any  portions  of  the  Scriptures 
have  been  printed,  including  a  copy  of  the  first  book  ever 
printed  with  movable  types.  Then  there  is  a  perfect  col- 
lection of  lexicons.  Rabbinical  writings,  ecclesiastical  his- 
tories, commentaries,  etc."  The  duke  himself,  he  found  to 
be  very  cordial  and  affable.  "  He  entered  at  once  into 
the  most  animated  conversation  respecting  my  country,  the 
objects  for  which  I  have  visited  Europe,  etc.  He  stated  that 
he  had  always  felt  a  very  deep  interest  in  the  United  States, 
adding  that  if  two  brothers  should  have  a  quarrel,  it  was 
no  sufficient  reason  that  their  children  should  continue  the 
animosity."  Of  the  more  private  remarks  of  the  Duke  of 
Sussex,  Mr.  Baird  was  silent  in  his  correspondence  ;  having 
laid  down  for  himself  as  a  rule  from  which  he  never  deviated, 
to  commit  no  statements  to  Avriting  which,  however  interest- 
ing they  might  be,  could  in  any  way  be  unpleasant  to  those 
by  whom  he  was  admitted  to  such  unreserved  conversa- 
tion. 

On  the  17th  of  May,  he  left  London  on  the  Columbine, 
"  the  worst  of  the  four  Hamburg  steamers."  In  consequence 
of  the  roughness  of  the  passage,  his  first  experience  of  the 
North  Sea  was  far  from  agreeable.     While  confined  to  the 


110  LIFE  OF  REV.  DB.  BAIRD. 

cabin  by  indisposition,  his  ears  were  shocked,  as  on  many 
other  occasions,  by  the  fearful  profanity  of  a  portion  of  his 
fellow  travelers,  English  merchants  on  their  way  to  the 
German  fairs.  "  Really,"  he  notes,  "  it  is  no  wonder  that 
the  French,  and  even  far-distant  heathen  nations  (as  Gobat 
assures  us  is  the  case  in  Abyssinia),  have  given  them  a  cog- 
nomen derived  from  tlieir  favorite  form  of  imprecation. 
And  so  common  is  it,  in  France,  to  apply  that  epithet  to 
them,  and  to  the  Americans  (to  whom  as  a  nation  it  is  quite 
as  appropriate  as  to  the  English),  that  children  and  servants 
use  it  without  having,  in  many  cases,  the  slightest  idea  of 
its  meaning." 

Passing  by  the  island  of  Heligoland — a  barren  rock  in 
the  North  Sea,  and  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Elbe — a 
spot  chiefly  noted  for  its  naval  importance  to  the  British 
during  the  wars  of  Napoleon,  and  for  the  facilities  its  po- 
sition affords  for  smuggling  English  fabrics  into  Germany, 
the  steamer  reached  in  a  couple  of  days,  the  entrance  of 
the  river.  The  ascent  to  Hamburg,  a  distance  of  eighty 
miles,  was  effected  by  day,  and  for  hours  the  travellers 
watched  the  low  banks  of  the  Elbe,  with  its  numerous 
islands,  often  dividing  the  stream  into  several  wide  but 
shallow  channels.  There  were  few  important  towns  or  cities 
to  be  seen  except  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Hamburg. 
Then  came  into  view  the  rural  retreat  of  Blankenese,  and 
Altona,  the  last  town  of  the  Danish  territory,  and  appearing 
on  the  river's  bank  to  form  but  one  city  with  Hamburg. 

Happily  for  the  success  of  his  labors  in  behalf  of  the 
mission  for  which  he  had  visited  northern  Europe,  Mr. 
Baird  was  provided  with  letters  of  introduction  to  some  of 
the  most  influential  gentlemen  of  Hamburg  by  Mr.  Rumpff, 
diplomatic  representative  of  the  Hanseatic  cities  at  Paris. 
Soon  after  installing  himself  in  the  hotel  "  Stadt  Peters- 
bourg,"  he  called  upon  Mr.  Doorman,  by  whom  he  was 
kindly  invited  to  drive  with  him  to  his  country  seat,  where 


SYNDIC  SIEVEKING.  1 1 1 

he  was  introduced  to  Mrs.  D..  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Rumpff,  and 
a  daughter  of  the  late  Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor.  On  the  first 
Sunday  after  his  arrival,  he  preached  in  one  of  the  English 
chapels.  On  subsequent  days,  he  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Mr.  Sieveking,  one  of  the  syndics  of  the  city,  living  in 
the  suburb  of  Ham,  and  of  the  Baron  Yon  Yoght,  living  in 
the  country,  at  the  distance  of  three  or  four  miles  from 
Hamburg.  This  venerable  man,  who  died  not  many  months 
later,  and  before  Mr.  B.'s  second  northern  tour,  had  been 
in  his  youth  the  intimate  friend  and  warm  admirer  of  the 
great  national  poet  of  Germany,  Klopstock,  as  well  as  of 
the  philosopher  Schelling.  From  his  own  lips  Mr.  Baird 
obtained  some  interesting  facts  in  relation  to  his  history. 
"  He  was  the  son  of  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Hamburg,  who 
gave  him  a  good  education,  and  sent  him  forth  at  an  early 
age  to  travel  throughout  Europe,  and  acquire  the  improve- 
ment which  nothing  but  this  mode  of  instruction  can 
give.  Among  the  countries  which  he  visited  was  France, 
where  he  was  received  very  kindly  at  the  court  of  Louis 
XY.,  and  had  the  honor  of  being  invited  to  the  table 
of  the  monarch.  On  that  occasion,  as  he  related  to  us,  his 
attention  was  arrested  by  the  remarkable  face  of  a  gentle- 
man dressed  in  a  plain  suit  of  green,  who  sat  opposite 
to  him  at  the  table,  and  who  he  learned,  upon  inquiry, 
was  no  other  than  our  illustrious  Franklin,  who  was  at  that 
time  in  Paris,  as  the  commercial  agent  of  tlie  Colonies,  and 
was  even  then  the  object  of  no  little  attention,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  celebrity  which  Ms  philosophical  investiga- 
tions had  given  him." 

To  these  and  other  gentlemen  of  influence,  Mr.  Baird 
unfolded  the  nature  of  the  object  for  which  he  had  under- 
taken his  present  journey.  By  all,  his  efforts  were  highly 
appreciated.  "  I  find,"  he  writes,  "  that  the  object  of  my 
visit  excites  much  interest  here.  Nothing  wliatever  has 
hitherto  been  done  for  the  TemT>erance  cause  in  Hambursr." 


112  LIFE  OF  REV,  DR.  BAIRD. 

"  I  found  no  Temperance  Society  in  existence  at  Hamburg," 
he  elsewhere  tells  us,  "  tliough  there  is  much  need  of  one  ; 
a  large  quantity  of  ardent  spirits  being  consumed  by  the 
laboring  classes  of  society.  I  conversed  with  many  persons 
on  the  subject,  and  found  several  desirous  of  doing  some- 
thing. A  few  pious  young  men  were  resolved  to  attempt 
to  form  a  society  among  tliemselves.  As  I  had  letters  to 
several  men  of  distinction  in  that  city,  I  found  all  the  faci- 
lities requisite  for  learning  the  state  of  things  there,  and 
also  for  distributing  judiciously  several  copies  of  the  His- 
tory of  Temperance  Societies,  and  for  making  arrangements 
for  the  distribution  of  many  more  of  the  German  edition 
when  it  shall  have  been  printed." 

A  sliort  stay  at  Hamburg  sufficed  to  accomplish  all  that 
Mr.  Baird  found  could  be  done  by  him  in  the  promotion  of 
the  cause  of  Temperance.  Avoiding  the  shorter  but  more 
tedious  route  to  Copenhagen,  he  took  the  "  diligence" 
through  Altona,  and  over  the  level  but  fertile  neck  of  the 
Danish  peninsula  to  Kiel.  In  this  part  of  his  journey,  he 
remarks  that  he  was  struck,  as  he  rode  through  the  belt  of 
well-cultivated  fields,  with  the  aspect  of  loneliness  and  of 
a  sparse  population,  not  confirmed  by  statistics.  This 
delusive  appearance  was  owing  in  great  measure  to  the 
circumstance  that  the  cultivators  of  the  soil,  instead  of 
living  on  their  farms  as  with  us,  were  gathered  together  in 
towns  and  villages,  being  frequently  compelled  to  walk 
several  miles  to  reach  the  scene  of  their  daily  toil.  Tliis 
singular  custom,  prevailing  likewise  in  France  and  other 
countries  of  the  eastern  continent,  evidently  had  its  origin 
in  those  days  of  lawless  violence,  when  the  timid  serfs  were 
wont  to  cling  to  the  feudal  castle,  as  to  a  central  point  for 
mutual  protection  against  organized  robbery  and  rapine. 
From  Kiel  the  sail  was  delightful  among  the  islands  of  the 
Danish  archipelago,  and  through  the  Great  Belt  and  the 
Sound.     At  length,  on  rounding  the  point  of  tlie  island  of 


mTER  VIEW  WITH  KIXG   OF  DENMARK.  1 1 3 

Amager,  the  city  of  Copenhagen  itself  burst  upon  the 
view,  appearing  to  rise  from  the  bosom  of  the  sea. 

The  week  which  Mr.  Baird  spent  in  the  Danish  capital 
gave  him  an  opportunity  to  open  the  way  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  subject  of  Temperance  to  the  notice  of  the  most 
influential  men  in  the  kingdom.  He  found  that  little  or 
nothing  liad  hitherto  been  attempted  in  this  direction, 
although  drunkenness  prevailed  to  a  lamentable  degree, 
especially  among  the  lower  classes.  He  therefore  caa^^ed  a 
number  of  copies  of  his  book  on  this  subject  to  be  distributed 
among  those  benevolent  individuals  who  it  might  be  hoped 
would  give  countenance  to  the  effort.  A  copy  was  also  pre- 
sented in  his  name,  through  the  American  Charge  dMffaires, 
to  the  king.  His  majesty  received  the  gift  with  many  thanks, 
and  promised  to  read  it  with  attention.  This  circumstance 
led  to  an  invitation  to  an  interview  with  the  King  of  Den- 
mark, in  which  Mr.  Baird  endeavored  to  produce  an  im- 
pression favorable  to  the  cause  for  which  he  was  laboring. 

Whatever  time  he  could  spare  during  his  stay  was  given 
to  the  museums  and  other  important  buildings  of  the  city, 
as  well  as  of  its  environs.  He  was  particularly  interested 
in  the  great  Royal  Museum  of  Arts,  and  that  of  Northern 
Anticjuities,  excelling  all  others  in  the  completeness  of  the 
series  of  Scandinavian  remains  which  it  possesses.  "  It  is 
admirably  arranged,"  says  Mr.  B.,  "  and  is  kept  in  the 
finest  condition,  tlirough  the  efi'orts  of  Professor  Thomson. 
Beginning  with  the  earliest  times,  before  the  use  of  iron 
Avas  known,  you  advance,  in  examining  this  collection; 
through  the  antiquities  of  the  succeeding  ages.  The  num- 
ber of  specimens  amounts  to  many  thousands.  Runic  re- 
mains form  an  interesting  portion  of  this  museum."  The 
libraries  and  galleries  of  paintings  were  likewise  explored 
with  pleasure  ;  and  Mr.  Baird  familiarized  himself  with  the 
scenes  of  the  two  great  attacks  upon  Copenhagen  by  the 
English,  in  1801.  under  command  of  Lord  Nelson,  and  six 
8 


114  ^^^^  ^^  ^^^-  ^^'  ^-^^^^' 


year?  later  under  Lords  Gambier  and  Cathcart.  Among 
the  objects  of  minor  importance  tliat  attracted  his  notice, 
was  the  very  singular  monument  erected  in  one  of  the  pub- 
lic squares  to  signalize  tlie  popular  execration,  and  which, 
for  little  less  then  two  centuries,  had  been  retained  in  the 
very  midst  of  the  haunts  of  trade.  On  the  rough  sides  of 
a  granite  base,  surmounted  by  an  equally  rude  obelisk,  he 
found  the  unenviable  inscription  rudely  chiseled  :  Til 
aevig  Spott,  Skam  og  Skjendsel  Forr^deren  Cor.  Ulfeld — 
To  the  everlasiwg  contempt,  shame,  and  rf-prohation  of  the 
traitor,  Corfitz  Ulfeld.  It  was  a  fearful  immortality,  or 
infamy,  to  attain,  and  probably  the  only  instance  in  modern 
times  of  an  imitation  of  that  ancient  Atheniail  practice,  in 
accordance  with  wliich  a  tablet  was  set  up  on  the  site  of 
the  razed  house  of  an  enemv  to  his  native  countrv,  with  the 
words  :  "  Antiplion  the  Traitor." 

Mr.  Baird  had  expected  to  make  Copenhagen  the  fur- 
thest point  in  his  tour,  and  thence  to  return  by  Berlin  to 
Paris.  But,  in  the  providence  of  God,  he  was  induced  to 
alter  his  plan  so  as  to  extend  his  journey  to  Stockholm. 
He  found  that  this  could  be  accomplished  with  little  loss  of 
time,  and  he  was  so  strongly  urged  to  visit  Sweden,  that  he 
determined  to  comply  with  tlie  request.  So  insignificant 
are  often  in  the  eyes  of  men  the  occasions  of  actions  whose 
results  are  as  lasting  as  eternity. 


CHAPTER  XL 

FROM  COPENHAGEN  TO  GOTTENBURG.  THE  GOTHA  CANAL. 
STOCKHOLM.  KING  CHARLES  XIV.  (bERNADOTTE).  THE 
CROWN  PRINCE  OSCAR.  PRESENTATION  OF  MR.  BAIRD  TO 
THE  KING.  HE  IS  RECEIVED  WITH  REMARKABLE  FAVOR. 
THE  KING  PROPOSES  TO  PUBLISH  MR.  BAIRD's  HISTORY  OF 
TEMPERANCE  SOCIETIES  IN  SWEDISH  AT  HIS  OWN  EXPENSE. 
HE  PRESENTS  A  GOLD  MEDAL  TO.  MR.  BAIRD  AS  A  BENEFAC- 
TOR OF  SWEDEN.      COMMENCEMENT  AT  UPSALA. 

1836. 

ON  the  3d  of  June,  Mr.  Baird  left  Copenhagen  on  the 
royal  Norwegian  steamer  Prinds  Carl  for  the  city  of 
Gottenburg,  in  Sweden.  The  Cattegat  Sound,  through 
which  the  ship  made  its  way,  was  in  most  places  so  wide 
that  but  one  coast,  and  that  the  Swedish,  was  visible.  But 
at  Elsineur,  some  twenty-five  miles  north  of  Copenhagen, 
the  channel  was  not  more  than  three  miles  broad,  and  the 
vessel  passed  near  the  too  famous  fort  of  Kronberg. 
Built  in  1567,  when  Denmark  held  possession  of  the  three 
southern  provinces  of  Sweden,  it  was  supposed,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  its  sister  fortification  on  the  opposite  coast,  to 
command  the  passage.  But  the  successful  attempt  of  the 
British  fleets  in  1801  and  1807  to  run  the  batteries  "satis- 
fied the  world  that  there  is  nothing  to  be  dreaded  even 
from  such  a  fortress,  when  the  channel  is  so  wide,  and  that, 
with  a  good  wind,  the  danger  of  passing  is  very  trifling." 
Passins:  this  ill-omened  fort,   in  which  the  unfortunate 

mother  of  the  reigning  king  of  Denmark — a  daughter  of 

,  (115) 


ii6  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

George  tlie  Third  of  England — liad  spent  long  years  of  im- 
prisonment on  a  charge  of  complicity  with  the  noted  Struen- 
see,  and  leaving  on  the  left  hand  the  mythical  site  of  the 
garden  of  Hamlet,  the  steamer  brought  our  traveler,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  hours,  to  Gottenburg,  on  a  high,  bleak  and 
rock -bound  shore,  presenting  a  very  striking  contrast  with 
the  low  plains  of  Germany  and  Denmark.  "  The  islands  and 
the  coast,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  appear  to  be  nothing 
but  pure  masses  of  granite  of  a  dark  gray  color.  Not  a 
tree,  and  scarcely  a  shrub,  is  to  be  seen  on  them.^'  The 
very  city  of  Gottenburg  is  built  in  part  on  the  side  and  at 
the  base  of  these  forbidding  hills,  whose  jagged  points  are 
to  be  seen  in  places  interrupting  the  continuity  of  the  town. 

At  this  stage  in  his  journey  he  was  kindly  received  by 
Mr.  Commer.ce-Ead  Olaf  Wyk,  a  member  of  the  Swedish 
Diet,  to  whom  he  bore  letters  of  introduction,  and  beneath 
whose  roof  he  met,  among  others.  Bishop  Wingard,  the 
worthy  prelate  of  Gottenburg,  who,  when  Mr.  Baird  next 
visited  Sweden,  had  been  elevated  to  the  archbishopric  of 
Stockholm,  and  the  primacy  of  the  kingdom,  and  resided  at 
Upsala. 

After  a  brief  stay  in  this  important  town,  Mr.  Baird  em- 
barked for  the  capital  on  the  small  steamboat  Daniel  Tlurn- 
herg,  preferring  the  trip  through  the  great  Gotha  canal  to 
the  more  expeditious  route  by  post.  This  enabled  him  to  see 
some  very  striking  natural  scenery,  and  to  follow  through 
its  entire  length  the  remarkable  work  of  art  which  has  sup- 
plied the  links  to  complete  the  connection  between  Stock- 
holm and  the  ocean,  formed  by  a  succession  of  rivers  and 
lakes.  The  small  vessel,  named  after  one  of  the  projectors 
and  early  superintendents  of  this  work,  and  adapted  to  the 
narrow  waters  through  which  it  was  intended  to  pass,  slow- 
ly made  the  ascent  of  the  Gotha  river.  "  The  scenery  along 
the  banks  is  exceedingly  varied,  picturesque,  and  beautiful. 
The  hills  on  either  side  are  high,  irregular  in  tlieir  shape, 


FALLS  OF  TROLLHATTA.  117 

and  exhibiting  all  possible  variety  of  outline  on  the  deep 
azure  of  the  sky.  They  are  almost  wholly  masses  of  gray 
rocks,  covered  with  a  thin  verdure  of  spruce  and  birch. 
They  presented,  indeed,  an  aspect  of  barrenness,  but  it  was 
much  softened  by  the  numerous  valleys  and  glens  which  are 
interspersed  among  them." 

About  thirty-five  miles  above  Gottenburg,  the  little  vil- 
lage of  Edet  was  reached,  where  the  first  falls  presented 
themselves  to  view.  By  far  the  most  striking  object  to  be 
seen  on  the  journey,  however,  was  the  great  falls  of  Troll- 
hatta.  Improving  the  time  while  the  small  steamer  was 
elevated  by  a  series  of  locks  to  the  level  of  the  waters  above, 
a  height  of  more  than  one  hundred  feet  from  the  surging 
river  below,  the  travelers  clambered  ov^r  rocks  to  reach 
the  points  from  which  the  most  striking  views  could  be  ob- 
tained. "To  describe  them  adequately,"  writes  Mr.  Baird, 
"  would  require  an  abler  pen  than  mine.  Indeed  it  is  im- 
possible for  any  pen  to  describe  them  adequately.  I  was 
prepared  to  see  much  at  these  falls,  which  are,  perhaps,  the 
most  remarkable  in  Europe  ;  but  I  confess  that  all  my  ex- 
pectations were  far  below  the  reality.  We  spent  hours 
looking  at  them,  and  my  only  regret  was  that  I  could  not 
.spend  days." 

Entering  the  small  steamboat  once  mor^,  a  short  distance 
above  the  falls,  Mr.  Baird  and  his  felloAv  travelers  soon 
found  themselves  at  the  spot  where  the  river  issues  from 
lake  Wener.  To  traverse  this  noble  sheet  of  water,  which 
derives  great  beauty  from  the  multitude  of  islands  that  stud 
its  bosom,  required  eleven  or  twelve  hours  ;  for,  next  to 
Ladoga,  it  is  said  to  be  the  largest  lake  in  Europe.  A 
second  artificial  channel  was  next  followed,  connecting  lake 
Wener  to  its  sister  lake  Wetter,  over  the  high  table-land 
that  intervenes.  ''  The  people,  like  the  rustic  population 
of  all  parts  of  Sweden  which  we  have  seen,  seemed  to  be  a 
light-hearted,  plain,  frugal,  hard-working  folk.     Many  of 


1 18  LIFE  OF  REV.  DE.  BAIRD. 

the  women  and  children,  as  we  passed  along,  came  to  the 
locks,  with  baskets  of  strawberries,  and  other  fruits  of  the 
season,  which  they  sold  to  the  passengers."  From  lake 
Wetter,  by  a  third  canal,  the  Baltic  was  reached  at  a  point 
fifty  miles  south  of  Stockholm. 

On  reaching  Stockholm,  he  presented  the  letters  of  intro- 
duction which  had  been  furnished  to  him  to  persons  of  in- 
fluence in  that  city,  to  several  of  whom  he  gave  copies 
of  liis  work  on  the  history  of  Temperance  Societies  in 
America.  Nor  did  a  full  acquaintance  with  the  condition 
of  the  people  fail  to  convince  him  that  his  visit  was  most  op- 
portune. It  had  not  escaped  the  attention  of  intelligent  men 
throughout  Sweden,  that  a  disastrous  cliange  had  been 
gradually  stealing  over  the  entire  population.  The  Swedes, 
who  in  time  of  the  great  Gustavus  Adolphus,  and  even  in 
that  of  Charles  the  Twelfth,  had  been  accounted  one  of  the 
most  sober  nations  in  Europe,  had  within  a  remarkably 
brief  period  become  the  slaves  of  intemperance.  The  laws 
placing  no  obstructions  in  the  way  of  tlie  manufacture  of 
ardent  spirits,  it  was  now  so  extensively  practised  that  the 
number  of  distilleries  in  Sweden,  with  its  population  of 
scarcely  more  than  three  millions  of  inhabitants,  was  said 
to  have  reached  the  almost  incredible  total  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  thousand !  "  Indeed,"  writes  Mr.  Baird,  "  in  many 
parts  of  the  country,  almost  every  farmer  has  an  apparatus 
more  or  less  extensive  for  the  manufacture  of  this  dreadful 
poison.  Vast  numbers  of  these  distilleries  are  on  a  very 
small  scale,  intended  chiefly  to  distill  the  potatoes  which 
are  grown  on  the  farm  ;  while  in  many  cases  they  are  on  a 
far  greater  scale  and  manufacture  large  quantities.  It  also 
appears,  from  the  statistics  published  by  Colonel  Forsell, 
that  about  forty  millions  of  gallons  of  tliis  whisky  are  an- 
nually consumed  in  Sweden,  by  a  population  of  a  little  more 
than  three  millions !" 

*'  It  is  obvious  that  this  country  will  bo  ruined  if  this 


INTEMPEBANGE  IN  SWEDEN. 


119 


dreadful  evil  be  not  arrested.  Should  it  continue  as  it  has 
for  the  last  twenty  years,  augmenting  at  a  fearful  pace,  the 
Swedish  nation,  distinguished  for  hardiness,  courage,  activ- 
ity, energy,  amiableness,  morality  and  other  excellent  traits 
of  character,  must  descend  from  the  proud  eminence  which 
it  has  occupied — the  days  of  its  glory  being  numbered. 
No  Gustavus  Vasa  or  Gustavus  Adolphus  will  hereafter 
astonish  the  world  by  the  feats  of  valor  of  Swedish  armies, 
if  the  physical  energies  of  the  nation  continue  to  be  thus 
undermined."  It  is  true  that  some  efforts  had  been  made 
to  check  the  growth  of  the  monster  that  threatened  to  de- 
stroy the  national  life.  But  the  societies  formed  on  the 
principle  of  partial  abstinence  had  signally  failed,  and  al- 
though some  good  had  undoubtedly  been  effected  through 
their  instrumentality,  they  had  fallen  into  general  contempt 
and  become  virtually  extinct. 

Happily,  the  work  written  by  Mr.  Baird  and  placed  in 
tlie  hands  of  educated  and  reflecting  men,  in  a  language 
which  they  could  understand,  reaching  Sweden  just  at  the 
moment  when  the  evils  which  it  was  intended  to  combat 
had  assumed  such  threatening  dimensions,  touched  a  chord 
whose  vibrations  thrilled  the  entire  kingdom,  and,  under 
God,  was  blessed  to  be  the  instrument  of  a  reform  which, 
for  its  extent,  rapidity  and  depth,  has  perhaps  been  rarely 
equaled  in  our  days.  Among  the  friends  of  the  Temper- 
ance movement  whom  the  good  providence  of  God  raised 
up  from  among  the  powerful,  to  the  King,  the  Crown 
Prince  and  the  Count  Augustus  von  Hartmansdorff  must 
undoubtedly  be  assigned  the  first  rank.  But  of  the  active 
workers,  to  whom  in  no  small  degree  its  success  is  attrib- 
utable, the  Rev.  George  Scott  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist 
Church  deserves  the  most  honorable  mention. 

Charles  John — formerly  known  as  Bonaparte's  intrepid 
general,  Bernadotte — whom  it  was  liis  fortune  to  see  on 
several  occasions,  and  to  become  well  acquainted  with  in 


1 20  .  LIFE  OF  REV  DR.  BAIRD. 

the  course  of  a  number  of  private  interviews  to  wliicli  he 
was  admitted,  was  ever  admired  and  highly  respected  by 
Mr.  Baird.  While  not  denying  that  the  old  king  might 
not  always  have  adopted  the  most  judicious  course  in  his 
conduct  tow^ards  the  friends  of  progress  in  Sweden,  he  be- 
lieved that  Bernadotte  had  endeavored  to  do  his  duty,  and 
had  been  the  occasion  of  incalculable  advantage  to  his 
adopted  country.  In  his  work  on  Northern  Europe,  written 
a  few  years  later,  Mr.  Baird  says  of  Bernadotte  :  "It  has 
happened  to  us  to  see  this  distinguished  man  several  times  ; 
and  though  he  is  now  not  far  from  eighty  years  of  age,  and 
is  truly  the  Nestor  of  kings,  yet  he  walks  with  much  elas- 
ticity of  movement,  and  seems  in  fact  to  be  a  man  of  scarcely 
more  than  fifty  years.  He  is  tall  and  erect ;  his  air  and 
carriage  are  exceedingly  dignified,  and  he  looks  like  a  man 
who  was  born  to  command."  Of  his  relations  to  Napoleon 
and  the  motives  that  influenced  him  in  his  course  with  ref- 
erence to  that  wonderful  man,  he  writes  :  "  There  are  many 
persons  who  believe  that  Bernadotte  owes  all  his  greatness 
to  Bonaparte.  He  was  a  republican  general  of  considerable ' 
distinction  before  Bonaparte  had  attained  to  any  high  com- 
mand. But  he  was  a  very  different  man  from  Napoleon. 
He  was  guided  less  by  ambition  than  by  the  disposition  to 
do  his  duty  to  his  country.  He  was  a  republican,  and  a 
sincere  one,  we  have  reason  to  believe.  He  was  opposed  to 
Napoleon's  overturning  the  Directory  and  destroying  the 
Republic  ;  and,  if  he  could  have  had  his  way,  it  is  probable 
that  he  might  have  prevented  that  act.  But  wlien  it  was 
done,  and  Bernadotte  saw  that  the  French  nation  submitted 
to  it,  he  considered  resistance  as  vain.  Through  the  per- 
suasion of  Josc})!!  Bonaparte,  who  is  his  brother-in-law,  he 
became  reconciled  with  Napoleon,  and  agreed  to  serve  under 
him.  This  he  did  with  great  distinction  for  ten  years.  That 
•he  was  always  hated  and  feared  by  Napoleon,  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe.     What  made  him  King  of  Sweden,  so  far 


BEEXADOTTE.  121 

as  relates  to  secondary  causes,  was  his  humane  and  noble 
treatment  of  the  two  thousand  Swedes  whom  he  made  prison- 
ers when  he  compelled  Blucher  to  surrender  with  his  army 
of  thirty  thousand  men,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Liibeck,  in 
the  month  of  November,  1806.  These  men,  upon  their  return, 
to  Sweden,  filled  the  country  with  his  praise.  And  it  was 
this  that  turned  the  eyes  of  the  Diet  upon  him  when  they 
liad  to  select  a  Crown  Prince,  upon  the  sudden  death  of 
Prince  Christian  Augustus  of  Holstein,  who  had  been  chosen 
for  that  high  station. 

"  That  Bernadotte  has  been  a  blessing  to  Sweden  is 
certain.  He  has  ruled  well,  considering  the  many  difScul- 
ties  which  have  surrounded  his  path.  It  has  been  unfortu- 
nate for  him  that  he  has  not  known  the  Swedish  language. 
He  has  therefore  been  obliged  to  learn  everything  through 
interpreters.  This  is  not  only  inconvenient,  but  absolutely 
dangerous.  Still  he  has  done  well.  The  country  never 
was  in  a  more  flourishing  state  than  at  present.  The  na- 
tional debt  has  been  extinguished,  and  the  people  are  pre- 
paring gradually  for  extensive  ameliorations. 

"  That  there  ar'fe  many  men  in  Sweden  who  think  that  the 
king  has  been  too  much  opposed  to  the  reform  which  they 
suppose  the  state  of  the  country  demands,  is  quite  probable. 
But  it  is  also  probable  that  the  opposition  party,  however 
honest  they  may  be,  may  expect  too  much  from  their  good 
old  monarch.  It  belongs  naturally  to  old  men  to  be  cau- 
tious, and  even  timid,  according  to  the  opinions  of  the  young 
and  ardent.  But  the  Swedes  ought  to  remember,  that  if 
their  venerable  sovereign  in  his  old  age  is  averse  to  approv- 
ing measures  which  he  deems  to  be  inexpedient,  at  least  at 
this  time,  they  ought  to  bear  with  him  in  consideration  of 
the  services  which  he  has  rendered  to  the  country  during  a 
long  and  critical  period." 

The  only  account  that  Mr.  Baird  has  left  of  his  interest- 
ilv^  and  important  interview  with  Bernadotte,  we  find  in  a 


122  LIFE  OF  REV.  LB.  BAIRD. 

sketch,  evidently  written  con  amore,  whieli  was  published  a 
few  months  after  the  king's  death  i"^ 

"It  was  in  the  month  of  June,  1836,  that  the  author  of 
this  article  first  saw  the  good  old  king.  The  occasion  was 
the  kind  invitation  of  his  majesty  to  a  special  audience,  a 
few  days  after  his  arrival  at  the  Sw^edish  capital,  in  relation 
to  the  Temperance  cause.  Upon  reaching  Stockholm,  he 
had  sent  lo  his  majesty,  by  the  hands  of  our  most  attentive 
and  courccous  charge  d'affaires,  Christopher  Hughes,  Esq., 
then  the  diplomatic  representative  of  the  United  States  at 
that  city,  but  now  performing  the  same  functions  at  the 
Hague,  a  copy  in  the  French  language  of  the  history  of  the 
temperance  societies,  which  he  had  a  few  months  before 
written  and  published  at  Paris,  at  the  request  of  the  late 
Edward  Livingston,  accompanied  by  a  brief  and  respectful 
note.  In  the  course  of  two  or  three  days  a  message  was 
received  from  the  kin.Gr  inviting  him,  as  well  as  a  friend 
from  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  who  was  at  that  time  visiting 
the  north  of  Europe,  to  what  is  called  a  private  and  special 
audience.  The  hour  appointed  for  our  reception  was  ten 
o'clock  in  the  evening. 

"  At  that  season  of  the  year,  it  may  be  said  that  night  is 
scarcely  known  at  Stockholm  and  other  cities  in  Europe 
equally  far  north.  The  sun  indeed  descends  below  the 
horizon  ;  but  so  great  is  the  twilight  in  these  northern  re- 
gions, that  there  is  no  more  darkness,  even  at  midnight, 
than  with  us  in  the  same  month  at  an  hour  after  sunset. 

"  A  broad  graj-  light,  sufficient  to  enable  one  to  read  with 
ease,  even  in  the  parlor  and  the  retired  chamber,  spread 
over  the  city.  The  crowds  were  fast  disappearing  from  the 
great  thoroughfares  and  promenades,  and  the  remaining 
portions  of  the  town  and  surrounding  country  were  fast 

*  Life  and  Character  of  the  Late  King  of  Sweden,  by  Robert  Baird,  D.  D., 
in  "  Graham's  Magazine"  for  Xovember,  1844. 


IXTER  VIE  W  WITH  BERN  AD  OTTE.  123 

assiiining  that  solemn  aspect  which  midnight  gives  to  the 
scene. 

"  Stockholm  is  by  far  the  most  picturesque  and  beautiful 
city  in  Scandinavia.  It  has  often  been  called  the  Venice 
of  the  North,  but  not  with  much  propriety.  The  central 
portions  stand  on  six  or  seven  islands  which  lie  in  the  outlet 
of  Lake  Maelar,  just  where  it  falls  into  the  great  estuary, 
abounding  with  islets,  which  puts  up  from  the  Baltic.  On 
the  western  side  of  a  central  island,  which  rises  to  an  eleva- 
tion of  at  least  fifty  feet,  stands  the  royal  palace.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  imposing  in  size,  structure  and  situation,  of  all 
the  edifices  of  the  sort  in  Europe. 

"  At  the  horn-  appointed  we  rode  to  the  palace.  Ascend- 
ing to  its  western  entrance,  we  passed  through  a  company 
of  royal  guards  sitting  quietly  on  their  noble  horses.  In 
an  instant  we  found  ourselves  at  the  foot  of  the  great  stair- 
way that  leads  up  to  the  apartments  of  the  king,  which  were 
in  the  north  side  of  the  palace.  Mounting  up  three  im- 
mense flights  of  stone"  steps,  and  passing  by  another  com- 
pany of  guards,  whose  duty  it  is  to  defend  the  immediate 
approach  to  the  royal  abode,  we  entered  a  vast  ante- 
chamber. Here  we  were  met  by  one  of  the  aids  of  the  king 
and  conducted  through  a  long  and  splendid  hall,  or  salon 
rather,  whose  walls  were  adorned  with  some  admirable 
paintings,  and  where  are  found  some  exquisite  statues 
chiseled  from  the  purest  marble  of  Carrara.  From  its  fur- 
ther end  we  were  ushered  into  the  throne-room,  where  we 
found  his  majesty  waiting  to  receive  us.  He  had  just  been 
holding  an  audience  with  some  of  the  foreign  ambassadors. 

"  Dressed  somewhat  after  the  manner  of  a  general  of  the 
higliest  rank,  wearing  on  the  breast  of  his  closely-buttoned 
coat  the  various  insignia  of  the  four  or  five  orders  of  the 
kingdom,  as  well  as  those  of  other  countries  which  have 
been  conferred  upon  him,  he  received  us  with  the  digniiy 
which  characterizes  the  manners  of  a  gallant  and  veteran 


124  ^^P^  ^^  ^E^'  DR.  BATED. 

general,  and  tlie  (jmee  and  suacity  of  an  accomplished 
prince.  Entering  at  once  upon  the  subject  which  occasioned 
the  interview,  he  returned  his  thanks  for  the  history  of  the 
temperance  societies,  said  he  had  read  it  through  with  great 
interest,  and  that  '  if  we  would  permit  it' — to  use  his  own 
polite  and  kind  language — '  he  would  have  the  volume  trans- 
lated into  Swedish,  published  at  his  own  expense,  and  cir- 
culated throughout  the  kingdom.'  In  reply,  he  was  assured 
that  nothing  could  give  greater  satisfaction  to  the  friends 
of  the  temperance  cause  in  America  than  to  hear  that  his 
majesty  had  adopted  such  a  resolution.  A  conversation 
then  ensued  in  which  the  king  spoke  in  a  manner  every 
way  worthy  of  an  enlightened  and  excellent  ruler,  of  the 
evils  of  intemperance,  deplored  their  prevalence  in  Sweden  ; 
and  while  he  expressed  his  fears  that  these  evils  were  too 
widespread  and  inveterate  to  admit  of  remedy,  yet  he 
avowed  his  readiness  to  encourage  any  measure  which  ex- 
perience had  demonstrated  to  be  useful  in  other  countries 
in  ejBfecting  their  diminution  or  extermination. 

"After  having  spoken  at  length  on  the  subject  of  tempe- 
rance societies,  and  of  the  good  which  they  had  accom- 
plished in  the  United  States,  his  majesty  took  occasion  to 
express  himself  in  the  kindest  manner  respecting  our  coun- 
try ;  said  he  had  been  familiar,  from  his  earliest  years,  with 
its  history,  and  that  he  had  followed,  with  the  deepest  in- 
terest, the  rapid  and  most  astonishing  progress  of  its  pros- 
perity. 'The  world,'  said  he, 'has  never  seen  anything 
like  it.  It  is  wonderful,  truly  wonderful.  I  see,'  he  con- 
tinued, with  a  smile,  'that  you  have  a  surplus  revenue,* 
and  are  really  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  do  with  it.  If 
you  will  send  some  millions  of  dollars  to  i\\Q  Old  'V\yorld,  I 
will  engage  to  find  some  countries  which  will  be  most  happy 
to  relieve  you  from  the  embarrassment  which  it  seems  at 

*  This  interview,  the  reader  will  keep  in  mind,  was  in  the  summer  of 
1836. 


INTER  VIE  W  WITH  BEBNAB  0  TTE.  125 

this  moment  to  give  you.'     He  was  told  that  there  was 
every  reasoD  to  believe  that  the  embarrassment  to^  which 
he  had  alluded  would  not  be  of  long  continuance,  and  that 
without  doubt  our  Government  would  soon  find  some  way 
of  reducing  the  revenue  to  the  standard  of  its  wants,  if 
not  below  it.      '  But  let  me  say  one  thing,'  replied  the 
venerable  old  king,  '  let  me  say  one  thing — you  must  keep 
united.     For  whatever  be  the  evils  which  you  may  experi- 
ence whilst  united,  they  are  nothing  in  comparison  with 
those  which  will  flow,  from  division.     For,  if  you  become 
divided,  then  will  you  inevitably  have  civil  war — the  worst 
of  all  wars.    And  if  that  should  happen,'  said  he,  in  a  slow 
and  decided  manner,  and  with  a  tone  that  indicated  deep 
feeling, '  if  that  should  happen,  perhaps  another  Napoleon 
will  be  raised  up  to  be  another  curse  to  humanity.'     This 
is  language  whose  import  it  is  not  possible  to  mistake,  and 
it  ought  to  be  pondered  well  by  those  among  us,  whether 
in  the  North  or  the  South,  who  talk  so  lightly  about  the 
separation  of  these  States,  so  happily  and  so  long  united.* 
And  what  an  opinion   does    this  remark  convey   of   the 
'  modern  Alexander,'  uttered  by  one  who  knew  him  well, 
and  spoken  not  in  the  irritation  and  excitement  of  personal 
disappointment,  but  after  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
had  passed  away  since  any  collision  between  them  had  oc- 
curred, and  in  the  calm  and  reflection  of  old  age. 

"  In  the  course  of  this  interview,  his  majesty  inquired 
whether  we  had  become  acquainted  with  General  Lalle- 
mand,  who  came  to  the  United  States  after  the  downfall  of 

*  Elsewhere  Mr.  Baird  wrote,  in  allusion  to  the  same  topic,  disunion  : 
"  There  is  too  much  said  about  division,  for  this  cause  and  for  that,  as  if 
division  were  practicable  without  blood.  No ;  the  man  who  even  dares  to 
whisper  the  proposition  to  divide  these  States  and  rend  to  pieces  our  happy 
Union,  should  be  at  once  arraigned  as  a  traitor,  and  brought  to  condign 
punishment.  On  this  subject  there  ought  to  be  but  one  sentiment  through- 
out all  our  land." 


1  26  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

Napoleon.  We  replied  tliat  we  had  not ;  that  we  knew 
him  only  by  reputation  ;  that  he  had  married  a  niece  of  Mr. 
Girard,  one  of  our  wealthiest  citizens,  and  shortly  afterward 
died,  and  that  his  wife  (who  had  married  a  second  time)  and 
daughter  are  now  living  in  the  city  of  Paris.  The  king 
said  that  he  had  heard  of  the  death  of  General  Lallemand, 
and  remarked  that  he  had  known  him  well,  and  also  his 
brother,  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Peers  in  France,  for 
both  had  been  2:enerals  under  his  command  when  he  was  a 
French  marshal.  He  then  related  the  following  interesting 
anecdote    respecting    one    of   these  Lallemands  :  '  In  the 

battle  of  '  (the  name  is  not  distinctly  remembered) 

'  at  a  most  critical  moment  I  gave  orders  to  my  division  to 
advance  to  the  charge.  Just  at  that  instant  a  musket-ball 
struck  me  in  the  neck.  Feeling  the  sliarp  and  cutting 
pain,  I  applied  my  hand  to  ascertain  what  was  the  matter  ; 
and  finding  that  I  was  wounded,  I  pressed  my  pocket  hand- 
kerchief between  my  neek  and  the  stock  to  stop  the  blood. 
The  soldiers  and  officers  around,  seeing  this,  came  to  a  halt, 
fearing  lest  I  was  seriously  wounded.  When  I  recovered 
myself,  and  had  time  to  look  about,  I  perceived  that  the 
line  was  getting  into  confusion  by  the  falling  back  of  the 
party  immediately  about  me.  Seeing  General  Lallemand 
near  me,  I  said  to  him,  "  Lallemand,  why  are  the  men  halt- 
ing ?  there  is  no  time  to  lose  here,  it  is  nothing  (meaning 
the  wound  is  nothing),  death  itself  is  nothing  ;  glory  and 
the  country  are  everything,  and  let  the  men  advance  to  the 
charge."  This  tliey  did,  and  left  me  behind  till  the  surgeon 
could  dress  my  wound.  This  happened,'  said  the  king, 
*  when  I  was  in  the  service  of  the  emperor.  In  the  fall  of 
1813,  after  the  battle  of  Leipsic,  whilst  the  allies  pursued 
Napoleon  towards  France,  I  led  my  army  against  Denmark, 
and  on  my  way  marched  to  Liibeck,  which  I  had  captured 
in  1806  from  the  Prussians,  as  a  French  marshal,  and  now  I 
had  to  capture  it  from  the  French,  as  Crown  Prince  of 


INTERVIEW  WITH  BERNADOTTE.  127 

Sweden,  having  tlie  same  two  thonsand  Swedes  under  my 
command  whom  I  had  taken  prisoners  there  several  years 
before.  To  my  surprise,  I  found  my  old  friend  and  fellow- 
officer,  Lallemand,  with  fourteen  thousand  men,  holding 
that  important  place  for  the  emperor,  and  I  summoned  him 
to  surrender  ;  but  he  sent  me  back  word  that  he  had.  years 
ago,  learned,  under  an  old  general,  "  that  death  was  nothing ; 
that  glory  and  the  country  were  everytliing,''  and  that  he 
would  not  surrender.  The  next  day,  however,  ho  sent  me 
an  officer  to  say  that  he  knew  he  could  not  hold  the  place 
long,  and  that  if  I  would  allow  his  officers  and  men  to 
march  out  of  the  place  with  their  arms,  he  would  surrender 
Lubeck,  and  retire  toward  France.  And  I  told  him  he 
might  do  it.  So  I  obtained  possession  of  Lilbeck,  that 
time,  without  the  loss,  on  either  side,  of  one  man.  And  I 
value  this  achievement  more  than  any  victory  which  I  ever 
won  ;  for  I  never  wished  to  cause  one  human  being  to  lose 
his  life  if  I  could  possibly  prevent  it.' 

"  Who  can  refrain  from  admiring  the  humanity  of  this 
simple  and  noble  remark,  made  by  one  of  the  greatest  com- 
manders of  his  age  ?  What  a  contrast  between  such  senti- 
ments and  those  which  we  often  hear  expressed  by  some 
among  us  who  would  be  considered  brave  men,  and  who  re- 
gard the  life  of  a  human  being  as  little  better  than  that  of 
a  beast !  And  how  excellent  must  have  been  the  heart  of 
tliat  srreat  ireneral,  whom  a  hundred  battles,  and  more  than 
thirty  years  spent  in  wars,  could  not  harden !  Would  to 
God  that  all  military  men  possessed  a  similar  spirit ! 

"  The  interview  lasted  about  an  hour.  The  conversation 
was  of  the  most  interesting  character,  and  related  to  various 
subjects,  suggested  by  the  then  state  of  things  in  the  old 
and  the  New  World.  Like  all  other  audiences,  special  and 
public,  at  which  it  has  beeil  our  lot  to  be  present,  the  con- 
versation was  of  the  most  familiar  and  easy  nature,  and 
altogether  like  that  of  three  or  four  gentlemen  standing  in 


128  LIFE  OF  liEV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

a  little  group  in  the  middle  of  tlie  room.  There  was  no 
officer  or  other  attendant  present.  As  is  tlie  custom  in  such 
interviews,  the  king  took  the  lead  in  the  conversation,  and 
of  course  spoke  of  such  subjects  as  were  deemed  by  him  to 
be  most  proper  for  the  occasion.  At  the  close  of  the  inter- 
view, he  expressed  much  gratification  at  having  seen  us, 
and  regretted  that  our  stay  was  likely  to  be  so  short  in 
Stockholm. 

"  As  we  retired  from  the  palace,  we  found  the  streets 
deserted,  save  by  a  sentinel  posted  here  and  there  to  guard 
the  slumbering  inhabitants.  A  deep  silence  reigned  every- 
where ;  and  yet  it  was  not  night !  We  made  our  way  to 
our  hotel  with  a  sort  of  awe,  for  we  seemed  to  be  passing 
through  a  deserted  city,  or  rather  through  one  whose  in- 
habitants were  all  dead,  with  here  and  there  a  solitary 
exception.  But  solemn  as  was  this,  to  us,  most  unusual 
scene,  it  could  not  efface  from  our  minds  the  very  favorable 
impression  which  the  appearance,  the  manners,  and  the  con- 
versation of  the  excellent  old  Bernadotte  had  made  upon 
them.'* 

Mr.  Baird  had,  very  soon  after  his  arrival,  sent  a  copy  of 
his  work  on  Temperance  Societies  to  the  Crown  Prince 
Oscar.  This  circumstance  led,  in  a  very  unexpected  man- 
ner, to  an  invitation  to  a  private  audience,  at  which  the 
Princess  Royal  was  also  present.  The  conversation,  he 
tells  us  in  one  of  his  familiar  letters,  turned  almost  entirely 
on  the  subject  of  Temperance,  in  which  both  the  Prince  and 
his  wife  (a  daughter  of  Eugene  Beauharnais,  and  grand- 
daughter of  the  Empress  Josephine)  expressed  the  liveliest 
interest.  "  The  Prince  stated  that  he  was  ready  to  do  any- 
thing which  he  could  to  advance  it.  He  said  that  he  had, 
as  commander-in-chief  of  tlie  army,  witnessed  the  baneful 
effects  of  ardent  spirits  in  that  branch  of  the  public  service ; 
that  he  had  for  several  years  abandoned  the  use  of  them  ; 
and  that  he  did  not  allow  them  to  come  upon  his  table  for 


RECEIVES  A  MEDAL  A8  BENEFACTOR.  129 

the  use  of  others."  It  was  natural  that  one  who  had  arrived 
at  such  just  conclusions  from  the  result  of  his  own  observa- 
tion, should  welcome  the  effort  which  it  was  Mr.  Baird's 
desire  to  see  inaugurated  in  Sweden.  Accordingly,  he 
placed  himself  at  the  bead  of  the  movement,  and,  as  patron 
of  the  National  Temperance  Society  soon  after  instituted, 
his  influence  was  powerful  for  good.  For  Mr.  Baird-  him- 
self he  cherished  to  the  close  of  his  life  the  most  kindly 
feelings. 

To  tlie  American  Minister,  Mr.  Hughes,  Bernadotte  ex- 
pressed his  intention  of  giving  to  Mr.  Baird  a  mark  of  his 
high  appreciation  of  the  Christian  philanthropy  tliat  had 
induced  him  to  come  so  far  from  his  native  land,  in  order 
to  contribute  to  the  moral  amelioration  of  tlie  inhabitants  of 
Northern  Europe.  Accordingly,  before  his  departure,  a 
large  gold  medal  was  presented  to  him  on  the  part  of  his 
majesty,  such  as  is  from  time  to  time  given  to  those  who 
have  distinguislied  themselves  by  special  philantliropic  ef- 
fort, and  confers  upon  them  admission  into  the  rank  of  pub- 
lic benefactors.  On  one  side  this  medal  bears  the  portrait 
of  the  king  with  the  words  "  Carolus  xiv.  Johannes  Rex 
SvECiAE  ET  NoRVEGiAE  ;"  and  on  the  reverse,  surrounded  by 
a  wreath  of  laurel  leaves,  the  legend  "  Illis  quorum 
MERUERE  LABORES," — To  those  whose  labors  have  (h.-iermd it. 

His  efforts  were  not,  however,  restricted  to  these  impor- 
tant interviews.  "  I  did  not  fail,"  lie  writes,  "  to  employ 
every  occasion  of  giving  all  the  information  which  I  could 
to  the  many  persons  with  whom  I  became  acquainted,  in 
regard  to  this  important  subject ;  and  I  trust  that,  with 
God's  blessing,  all  will  not  be  in  vain."  The  twenty-five 
copies  of  his  work  sent  to  prominent  persons  in  Norway, 
and  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  distributed  in  a  similar 
manner  in  Sweden,  were  not  without  their  fruit.  Of  this 
he  received  abundant  testimony  soon  after  his  return  to- 
Paris. 

9 


l}0 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


During  Mr.  Baird's  stay  at  Stockholm,  he  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  make  an  excursion  to  the  famous  University  of 
Upsahi,  and  to  witness  the  triennial  Promotion  of  the  can- 
didates for  honors  in  the  faculty  of  Philosophy,  which  cor- 
responds in  part  to  the  annual  Commencements  of  our  col- 
leges and  universities.  Upon  the  graduates  of  the  Theo- 
logical, Medical  and  Legal  Schools,  the  customary  degrees 
are  privately  conferred  by  their  respective  professors  ;  but 
those  of  the  Philosophical  School  are,  at  the  close  of  every 
third  year,  advanced  to  the  title  of  master  of  arts  in  the 
presence  of  a  large  concourse  of  people.  As  he  could  not 
avail  himself  of  the  steamboat  which  ran  up  to  Upsala  on 
the  previous  day,  nor  of  the  "  diligence,"  that  started  too 
late  in  the  morning  to  enable  him  to  reach  the  scene  of  the 
literary  exercises  in  time,  he  was  forced  to  resort  to  posting 
in  true  Swedish  fashion,  in  a  rough,  springless  vehicle,  not 
unlike  an  ordinary  cart.  Starting  at  ten  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  with  the  western  sky  still  lighted  up  by  the  sun 
that  had  set  an  hour  before,  at  half-past  twelve  he  reached 
the  first  station.  "  At  eight  in  the  morning,"  he  writes,  "  I 
was  at  Upsala,  having  made  the  journey  chiefly  in  the  night, 
if  night  it  may  be  called,  during  which  I  could  read  with 
the  utmost  ease,  though  there  was  no  moon,  nor  more  than 
one  or  two  stars  to  be  seen.  The  illumination  which  the 
setting  sun  had  made  in  the  north-west  gradually  moved 
around  to  the  north,  where  it  was  at  midnight ;  and  then 
it  advanced  to  the  north-east,  where  it  remained  increasing 
in  splendor  until  the  sun  rose  at  three  o'clock." 

The  hotels  being  full  to  overflowing  with  guests,  Mr. 
Baird  called  upon  Professor  Geijer,  the  distinguished  his- 
torian of  Sweden,  to  whom  he  presented  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction. He  was  most  cordially  received,  and  accompanied 
tiie  professor  to  a  public  breakfast  given  by  himself  at  the 
"orangery"  in  the  botanical  gardens  of  the  celebrated 
Linnaeus.     Here  were  gathered  not  only  the  professors,  but 


COMMENCEMENT  AT  UP8ALA. 


131 


the  students  who  were  that  day  to  receive  their  degrees, 
and  a  large  number  of  the  most  prominent  gentlemen  of  the 
kingdom.  "  I  was  received,"  he  writes,  "  with  great  kind 
ness  by  many  persons  of  distinction,  among  whom  was  the 
Archbishop  of  Sweden."  A  few  spare  moments  enabled 
him  to  look  at  the  house  and  grounds  where  the  father  of 
botanical  science  lived,  labored  and  died  ;  and  he  mentions, 
in  particular,  that  he  saw  the  daughter  and  only  surviving 
child  of  Linnaeus,  herself  then  at  a  very  advanced  age. 

From  the  breakfast  the  company  marched  in  procession 
to  the  great  cathedral  of  Upsala,  a  noble  shrine,  the  most 
worthy  of  being  seen  in  all  Sweden,  and  under  whose  Gothic 
arches  are  interred  some  of  the  most  celebrated  men  of  that 
land — Gustavus  Wasa  and  Linnaeus  among  the  number. 
After  a  musical  prelude,  the  promoter,  who  on  this  occasion 
was  Professor  Geijer,  delivered  an  address  in  the  Latin 
language,  and  proceeded  next  to  confer  upon  the  candidates 
the  doctorate  of  philosophy,  equivalent  to  the  degree  of 
master  of  arts  in  England.  The  formalities  were  striking. 
"  Each  one  of  the  ninety  young  men  who  graduated  on  this 
occasion,  came  before  the  Promoter  on  an  elevated  platform, 
with  a  crown  of  laurel  in  his  hand,  which  the  Promoter 
received  from  him  and  placed,  as  he  stooped,  on  his  head, 
afterwards  putting  a  ring  on  his  finger  and  a  little  book  in 
his  hand.  At  the  very  instant  when  the  crown  was  imposed 
on  the  head  of  each,  a  cannon  was  fired  in  the  adjoining 
yard.  This  was  done  with  the  utmost  precision,  the  signal 
being  given  by  a  person  appointed  for  the  purpose.  After 
all  had  been  in  this  way  crowned,  one  of  the  graduates 
delivered  a  Latin  salutation,  and  another  an  address  in 
Swedish  to  the  ladies.  This  was  all  the  speaking  which 
was  done  by  the  students."  A  sermon  preached  by  a  dis- 
tinguished clergyman,  music  by  the  band,  and  a  march  in 
procession  around  the  cathedral  closed  the  exercises ;  and 
there  followed  a  public  dinner  in  the  orangery  of  the  new 
botanical  gardens. 


132 


LIFE  OF  BEV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


From  the  dinner  the  company  adjourned  to  the  surround- 
ing gardens,  where  the  students  "chaired"  the  Promoter, 
and  after  marches  and  countermarches  and  joyous  songs, 
paid  the  same  honor  to  a  graduate  of  fifty  years'  standing, 
who  chanced  to  be  present  on  the  occasion.  Leaving  the 
assemblaire,  about  to  enjraore  in  a  s-rand  ball,  Mr.  Baird 
returned  by  night  to  the  capital  as  he  had  come  ;  and  some- 
what fatigued,  he  tells  us,  by  his  travel  of  nearly  one  hun- 
dred miles  within  thirty-six  hours.  The  only  feature  that 
marred  in  his  eyes  the  pleasant  festivities,  had  been  the  un- 
sparing use  of  brandy  at  each  of  the  meals  at  Upsala,  by 
young  and  old  alike.  The  sight  was  not  encouraging  to 
one  who  had  come  to  Sweden  for  the  express  purpose  of 
endeavoring  to  check  this  great  abuse. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

EXERTIONS  IN  BEHALF  OF  TEMPERANCE  IN  GERMANY,  HOL- 
LAND AND  BELGIUM.  INTERESTING  INTERVIEWS  WITH 
THE  KING  AND  CROWN  PRINCE  OF  PRUSSIA,  PRINCE  JOHN 
OF  SAXONY  AND  KING  LEOPOLD  OF  BELGIUM.  VIEWS  OF 
THE   GOVERNMENT   AND   LITERARY   MEN   OF   GERMANY. 

1836. 

AFTER  having  accomplished  everything  that  seemed 
feasible,  during  so  short  a  sojourn  as  it  was  in  his 
power  to  make  at  Stockholm,  Mr.  Baird  started  by  steamer 
for  St.  Petersburg,  much  to  the  regret  of  many  friends  who 
thought  that  great  good  could  be  accomplished  by  his  pro- 
longing his  stay.  But  he  was  not  permitted  to  see  the 
Russian  capital  at  this  time  ;  for  the  vessel  upon  which  he 
made  the  attempt  had  not  proceeded  more  than  fifty  miles 
on  its  way,  when  owing  to  an  accident  to  the  machinery,  it 
was  compelled  to  return  to  Stockholm  for  repairs.  As  no 
other  means  of  reaching  St.  Petersburg  would  present  itself 
for  a  fortnight,  it  was  out  of  his  power  to  proceed  according 
to  his  first  intention.  He  therefore  availed  himself  of  the 
departure  of  a  steamer  for  Lllbeck,  to  set  out  upon  his  re- 
turn. The  sail  down  the  Baltic  was  pleasant  but  monoto- 
nous ;  and  the  travelers  were  doubtless  glad  to  arrive  at 
Travemunde,  the  small  port  of  Liibeck,  whence  they  soon 
reached  the  city  itself.  A  few  hours  were  spent  in  visiting 
the  principal  objects  of  interest  in  Liibeck,  now  sadly  fallen 
[rom  her  former  prosperity,  when  an  extended  commerce 

(133) 


134 


LIFE  OF  REV,  DR.  BAIRD. 


enriched  her  citizens  with  the  silks  and  other  costly  mer- 
chandize of  distant  lands  ;  and  when  as  head  of  the  Hanse- 
atic  league,  the  delegates  of  eighty-three  free  cities  and 
towns  met  within  her  walls.  Yet  the  very  antiquity  of 
Liibeck  was  a  source  of  interest ;  and  the  houses  and 
churches  of  cm^ious  architecture,  carrying  one  back  to  the 
confines  of  the  Middle  Ages,  seemed  in  no  way  unworthy 
of  its  traditions. 

From  Liibeck  he  posted  in  company  with  an  agreeable 
Russian  gentleman  through  the  level  plains  of  Mecklenburg 
and  Brandenburg  to  Berlin.  On  reaching  this  place  the 
interests  of  the  Temperance  cause  first  occupied  his  atten- 
tion. A  slight  sketch  of  his  labors  is  given  in  one  of  his 
familiar  letters  :  "I  commenced  at  once,  when  I  arrived, 
calling  upon  the  persons  to  whom  I  had  letters,  who  were 
Count  Groben,  Major  Tan  Gerlack,  Professor  Xeander, 
Rev.  Mr.  Ayerst,  and  one  or  two  more.  At  first  I  was 
much  discouraged.  But  soon  matters  went  better,  and  be- 
fore the  end  of  last  week  I  had  made  all  the  arrangements 
for  having  my  History  of  the  Temperance  Societies  trans- 
lated into  German  and  published,  Mr.  Ayerst  and  one  or 
two  excellent  men  of  the  little  Temperance  Society  here 
having  engaged  to  see  the  work  well  done.  This  was, 
therefore,  off  my  mind,  and  I  had  time  to  see  many  of  the 
objects  of  interest  here,  at  Potsdam  (nearly  twenty  miles 
from  Berlin,  where  Frederick  the  Great  lived,  and  where 
the  King  and  royal  family  now  live  much  of  the  time),  and 
at  Charlottenburg.  I  had  also  seen  the  Crown  Prince  and 
been  most  kindly  received  by  him,  obtaining  a  letter  of 
introduction  from  him  to  Prince  John  of  Saxony.  I  had 
sent  a  copy  of  my  book  to  the  King,  through  Prince  Witt- 
genstein, one  of  the  Ministers  whom  I  had  called  upon  ; 
and  all  things  being  arranged,  as  I  supposed,  I  engaged 
my  place  in  the  diligence  for  Dresden,  witli  the  expectation 
of  setting  off  on  Saturday  morning.     But  on  Friday  night, 


DI^ES  WITH  THE  KING  OF  PRUSSIA,  135 

when  I  had  made  the  last  visit  to  my  friends  here  and  re- 
turned to  the  hotel,  I  received  a  message  from  the  King 
saying  that  I  must  dine  with  him  the  next  day  at  the  Palace 
of  Sans-Souci  at  Potsdam,  at  half-past  one  o'clock.  This 
altered  all  my  plans.  It  was  thought  by  some  excellent 
men  here  that  I  ought  to  accept  the  invitation  :  I  did  so, 
and  went  out  and  spent  most  of  the  day.  It  was  a  most 
interesting:  season  to  me.  I  met  there  about  fortv  2:entle- 
men  and  ladies  of  the  first  rank  in  the  kingdom.  I  was 
presented  to  the  King  and  had  much  conversation  with  him 
on  the  subject  of  my  visit,  and  also  with  his  sons,  the  Crown 
Prince  and  Prince  Charles,  and  their  wives,  the  Princess  de 
Liegnitz,  the  wife  of  the  King  (not  the  Queen,  she  is  not 
living),  with  Baron  Humboldt  and  others.  It  was  a  most 
important  matter  for  the  Temperance  cause.  I  was  received 
most  cordially." 

In  another  letter  Mr.  Baird  describes  more  particularly 
the  members  of  the  royal  family  of  Prussia  by  whom  he  was 
so  kindly  received,  and  with  some  of  whom  an  intimate 
acquaintance  continued  for  their  entire  life.  "  The  king," 
he  writes,  "  is  sixtv-six  years  of  agre,  and  more  visrorous  and 
firm  than  I  had  expected.  I  had  thought  that  he  was  very 
old  looking  and  feeble,  but  he  is  not  so.  He  is  tall,  though 
he  stoops  a  little,  is  affable,  and  is  no  doubt  a  man  of  good 
dispositions.  The  Crown  Prince  I  should  suppose  to  be 
about  forty-five  years  of  age.  He  is  universally  beloved, 
and  is  unquestionably  a  very  good  man.  The  Crown  Prin- 
cess is  a  sister  of  the  King  of  Bavaria,  and  is  a  most  lovely 
lady  and  greatly  beloved  by  the  people.  The  Prince  Wil- 
liam and  his  wife  I  did  not  see.  They  were  not  present. 
The  next  son  of  the  King  in  age  is  Prince  Charles.  He  is 
a  man  probably  of  more  energy  than  most  of  the  others. 
The  youngest  son  of  the  King  appears  to  be  quite  a  youth. 
Besides  four  sons  (whom  I  have  just  mentioned),  the  King 
has  three  daughters,  who  are  all  married — the  oldest  to  t^ie 


136 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


Emperor  Nicholas  of  Russia,  anotlier  to  a  Prince  of  Meck- 
leuburg-Schwerin,  and  a  third  to  Prince  Frederick,  second 
son  of  the  King  of  Holland." 

"  It  is  something  remarkable  to  see  so  large  a  royal  fam- 
ily which  contains  so  many  members  who  are  virtuous  and 
good  people.  The  family  of  the  present  King  of  Prussia 
has  been  unquestionably  well  brought  up,  and  his  children 
show  that  the  good  training  which  they  have  had  has  not 
been  in  vain."  And  he  elsewhere  writes  respecting  the 
reigning  family  in  connection  with  the  political  govern- 
ment :  "  There  is  no  freedom  of  the  people.  The  censorship] 
is  very  rigid.  Such  a  tiling  as  an  opposition  journal  does 
not  exist.  There  are  only  three  political  papers  in  Berlin, 
and  they  are  advocates  of  whatever  is  done  by  the  Govern- 
ment, xlnd  yet  I  do  not  believe  that  there  is  in  the  world 
a  better  conducted  government  of  the  unlimited  monarch- 
ical kind.  The  king  is  unquestionably  a  man  of  kind,  up- 
right, honest  intentions.  He  is  beloved,  and  justly  so,  by 
the  people ;  for  he  seems  to  be  intent  upon  promoting  their 
interests.  The  members  of  his  family  are  liked  because 
they  are  amiable,  kind,  affable  and  moderate  in  all  their 
conduct.  There  is  no  hauirhtiness  or  arroixance  seen  in 
them.  The  princes,  it  is  notorious,  are  bringing  up  their 
children  in  a  simple  and  proper  manner.  They  do  not  differ 
from  tliose  of  the  people,  except  that  they  are  perhaps  better  / 
taught  and  possess  better  manners."  ^ 

Mr.  Baird  left  Berlin,  as  we  have  seen,  with  a  warm  ad- 
miration of  the  royal  family,  and  especially  of  the  Crown 
Prince  (the  late  King  Frederick  William  lY.),  with  whom 
he  maintained  to  the  end  of  his  life  a  cordial  attachment, 
strengtliened  in  repeated  visits  to  Prussia.  Although  he 
could  not  but  disapprove  of  the  reactionary  course  of  the 
prince  after  his  ascent  to  the  throne,  he  always  gave  him 
credit  for  great  sincerity  of  character,  and  a  true  desire 
for  the  welfare  of  his  people.     Having  made  arrangements 


PRINCE  JOHN  OF  SAXONY. 


137 


for  the  publication  of  his  History  of  Temperance  Societies 
in  German,  in  a  somewhat  enlarged  form,  and  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Crown  Prince,  to  whom  the  translation  was 
to  be  dedicated,  Mr.  Baird  left  Berlin  for  Dresden,  for  the 
purpose  of  seeing  Prince  John  of  Saxony. 

And  here  again,  Mr.  Baird's  correspondence  furnishes 
us  with  some  account  of  his  visit :  "  You  are  aware  that  this 
prince,  who  is  a  brother  of  the  present  king  of  the  country, 
is  distinguished  for  his  literary  acquirements  and  for  his 
philanthropic  efforts  for  the  welfare  of  his  fellowmen.  He 
is  a  young  man.  I  had  an  interview  with  him  of  consider- 
able lenofth,  havino;  been  introduced  to  him  bv  a  letter  from 
the  Crown  Prince  of  Prussia,  who  is  his  brother-in-law. 
The  prince  has  not  organized  a  Temperance  Society  in  Sax- 
ony, as  I  had  heard  ;  but  has  disseminated  much  information 
on  this  subject.  And  he  told  me  that  a  sensible  diminution 
of  the  quantity  of  ardent  spirits  used  in  the  kingdom  has 
taken  place,  not  only  occasioned  by  increased  light  on  the 
evils  of  that  use,  but  also  in  consequence  of  the  enactment 
of  laws  which  are  calculated  to  repress  the  sale  of  intoxi- 
cating liquors,  especially  that  of  brandy.  The  prince  stated 
that  he  had  met  many  difficulties  in  this  enterprise,  and  that 
he  was  at  times  well  nigh  discouraged."  He  expressed 
great  pleasure  at  the  prospect  of  publication  of  Mr.  Baird's 
work  in  German,  and  promised  to  endeavor  to  have  it 
widely  circulated  in  Saxony. 

The  time  which  he  had  spent  in  making  this  tour  through 
northern  Europe  had  far  exceeded  the  limits  which  Mr. 
Baird  intended  to  allot  to  it,  when  he  left  Paris,  where  his 
duties  now  imperatively  demanded  his  presence.  His  return 
was.  therefore,  as  speedy  as  practicable.  It  was  deemed 
important,  however,  that  he  should  visit  Holland  and  Bel- 
gium on  his  way.  For  this  reason,  after  reaching  the  Rhine 
at  Mayence,  he  descended  that  river  and  entered  Holland 
at  Nimeguen.     In  his  rapid  journey  through  central  Ger- 


138  LIFE  OF  nEY.  DB.  BAIRD. 

many,  he  stopped  for  a  short  time  at  Leipsic,  and  again  at 
Halle  where  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Prof.  Tholuck, 
the  distinguished  theologian,  and  visited  the  celebrated  Or- 
phan House,  established  by  Franke,  where  he  found  two 
hundred  children  clothed  and  taught — this  great  benevo- 
lent institution  having  had  its  birth  in  the  faith  of  that  ex- 
cellent man,  on  whose  monument  Mr.  Baird  read  the  simple 
words  ••  Er  vertrauete  Gott,''  H<^  trusted  in  God. 

Throughout  Germany  Mr.  Baird  had  received  the  kindest 
attentions  from  the  gentlemen  to  whom  he  bore  letters  of 
introduction  as  well  as  from  others,  and  had  been  admitted 
to  private  audiences  at  two  of  its  regal  courts.  But  these 
circumstances  did  not  blind  his  eyes  to  some  lamentable 
truths  respecting  the  political  condition  of  the  people  : 
"  The  governments  interfere  with  everything.  The  most 
rigid  police  is  employed.  The  least  appearance  of  a  politi- 
cal movement  at  once  excites  the  suspicions  of  the  rulers. 
Many  of  the  smaller  states  are  exceedingly  oppressed. 
Hundreds  of  students  in  the  universities  either  are  now  in 
prison,  or  are  under  arrest  for  having  belonged  to  the  Bur- 
schenschaft.  Many  have  been  condemned  to  five,  six,  and 
even  to  ten  and  fifteen  years'  imprisonment.  Xow,  though  I 
am  no  advocate  for  students  meddling  with  politics,  instead 
of  attending  to  their  studies,  and  think  them  very  unfit  to 
take  the  lead  in  such  grave  matters,  yet  I  do  think  that 
the  treatment  which  they  have  received,  in  many  cases, 
is  cruel  in  the  extreme.  My  blood  boils  when  I  think  of 
thoughtless  young  men,  who  may  have  been  imprudent,  and 
qmt€  culpable  indeed,  being  punished  in  so  rigorous  a  man- 
ner." 

But  there  were  other  peculiarities  of  German  society,  as 
then  constituted,  that  called  forth  his  severest  reprobation  : 
"  I  do  not  like  the  subserviency  of  the  men  of  learning,  and 
even  the  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  in  Germany,  to  the  powers 
that  be.     In  many  cases,  instead  of  manfully  holding  up  the 


LIBERTY  IN  GERM  ANT. 


139 


duty  of  rulers  as  well  as  of  the  ruled,  they  indulge  in  dreamy 
speculations  on  the  divine  right  of  regal  authority,  and 
make  the  most  beautiful  dissertations,  comparing  the  king 
to  the  father  of  a  great  family,  and  in  the  meantime  the 
people  are,  in  some  countries,  crushed  under  increasing  op- 
pressions. Such  conduct  is  unworthy  of  them.  Let  minis- 
ters preach  against  disobedience  to  the  laws  as  they  ought ; 
but  let  them  also  say  what  is  the  duty  of  the  ruler.  But 
such  is  the  state  of  things  in  some  parts  of  Germany,  that 
if  you  were  to  talk  about  a  constitution,  you  would  find 
that  the  very  word  would  strike  dumb  those  who  hear  you. 
If  you  were  to  go  on  to  speak  of  limited  monarchy,  and  the 
justice  of  the  people  having  a  share  in  legislative  and 
judicial  proceedings,  you  can  scarcely  imagine  with  what  a 
look  of  fear  you  would  be  viewed.  And  if  you  were  to  say, 
or  even  hint,  that  oppression  might  be  so  great  as  to  justify 
the  people  in  rising  up  and  saying  to  their  rulers  that  they 
will  not  submit  to  it,  you  cannot  conceive  what  horror 
your  discourse  would  inspire."  With  all  these  discourage- 
ments, it  was  still  Mr.  Baird's  opinion  that  a  brighter  day 
for  Germany  would  soon  dawn.  He  could  not  avoid  the 
belief  that  the  better  part  of  the  rulers  would  gradually 
accord  to  their  subjects  a  larger  degree  of  freedom  ;  while 
the  rest  would  defer  doing  this,  until  induced  to  it  by  com- 
pulsion. And  the  catastrophe  might  not  be  so  distant  as 
many  supposed  :  "  The  press  is  dead,  but  the  spirit  of  lib- 
erty and  the  desire  for  just  rights  are  not ;  and  when  the 
proper  crisis  arrives,  it  will  be  found  that  sympathy  is  a 
more  powerful  means  than  even  the  press,  and  will  super- 
sede its  necessity." 

From  Nimeguen  he  proceeded  to  Amsterdam,  where  in 
the  course  of  a  few  days  he  visited  all  the  principal  objects 
of  interest  of  the  great  Dutch  metropolis.  At  Utrecht  and 
at  the  Hague  he  also  stopped,  and  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Herringa  and  Baron  Golstein,  at  whose  request  he  made 


I40  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

arrangements  for  the  translation  and  publication  of  his 
History  of  Temperance  Societies  in  the  Dutch  language ; 
these  gentlemen  undertaking  to  superintend  the  work,  and 
to  secure  the  means  for  defraying  tlie  principal  portion  of 
the  expense.  The  King  of  the  Netherlands  was  on  the  point 
of  leaving  the  Hague  for  his  country  palace  at  Loo.  It  was 
owing  to  this,  that  Mr.  Baird  had  no  opportunity  to  obtain 
a  private  audience.  He  received,  however,  a  letter,  writ- 
ten at  the  command  of  the  king,  by  the  Secretary  for  For- 
eign Affairs,  Baron  Volkten  Van  Soelen,  expressing  the 
regret  of  his  majesty  that  circumstances  were  such  as  to 
render  a  private  interview  impossible  at  that  time  ;  but 
stating  that  his  majesty  had  received  with  pleasure  the 
book  on  the  Temperance  Societies  which  he  had  sent  him, 
and  would  give  it  a  speedy  and  attentive  perusal.  "  You 
will  be  gratified,"  writes  Mr.  Baird,  "  to  learn  tliat  there  is 
no  reason  to  believe  that  the  enlightened  and  virtuous  King 
of  Holland  is  opposed  to  the  object  of  Temperance  Societies, 
but  that  he  has  hitherto  been  opposed  to  their  formation 
owino;  to  the  unsettled  and  distracted  state  of  thinfrs  in  the 
kingdom,  occasioned  in  some  measure  by  the  unadjusted 
Belgian  question,  but  still  more  by  the  religious  dissensions 
which  have  for  the  last  two  years  greatly  agitated  that 
country." 

"  The  unadjusted  Belgian  question "  to  which  he  refers 
was  also  the  cause  of  an  inconvenient  detention.  For  in 
the  state  of  hostility  still  subsisting  between  Holland  and 
Belgium,  after  the  lapse  of  six  years  since  the  successful  re- 
volt of  the  latter,  it  was  necessary  to  obtain  the  authoriza- 
tion of  the  Prince  of  Orange  (the  king's  eldest  son)  as  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, in  order  to  leave  the  dominions  of  the 
monarcli  of  the  Netherlands,  to  enter  those  of  Leopold. 
After  a  vexatious  delay  permission  was  received,  and  Mr. 
Baird  proceeded  to  Brussels,  taking  Rotterdam,  Antwerp 
and  Malines,  on  the  route.     At  the  Belgian  capital  his 


RETURN  TO  PARIS.  141 

labors  in  behalf  of  Temperance  on  the  present  journey  closed. 
Some  influential  persons  were  visited  and  their  exertions 
secured  for  the  good  work.  Yet  he  was  constrained  to 
confess  that  he  was  not  sanguine  in  his  expectations  respect- 
ing its  success  in  Belgium.  In  that  kingdom,  composed  of 
provinces,  up  to  1880,  exclusively  Roman  Catholic,  but  in 
which  religious  liberty  of  the  most  complete  character  had 
been  granted,  by  a  sort  of  compromise  between  the  ultra- 
montane and  sceptical  parties,  "  there  is  not  at  present 
sufficient  moral  force  to  carry  forward  the  Temperance 
Reformation  with  energy."  The  king,  however,  to  whom 
he  gained  access,  was  very  favorably  inclined  to  every 
effort  in  behalf  of  this  benevolent  movement.  "  He  ex- 
pressed to  me,"  we  find  it  mentioned,  '"  his  deep  conviction 
of  the  baneful  effects  of  the  use  of  ardent  spirits  in  his  king- 
dom, and  his  sincere  desire  that  something  might  be  done 
to  arrest  its  progress." 

After  a  short  sojourn  in  Brussels,  and  a  visit  to  the  battle- 
field of  Waterloo,  he  returned  to  Paris,  reaching  his  home  in 
safety  after  a  very  extensive  tour,  which  had  consumed  the 
interval  between  the  months  of  April  and  August.  It  may 
be  an  evidence  of  his  untirhig  industry  worthy  of  being 
here  noticed,  that,  during  this  period,  in  addition  to  his 
other  arduous  duties  and  an  extensive  correspondence,  as  / 

well  official  as  private,  he  found  time  to  write  to  the  Com-'i  ,/ 
mejyial_Advertiser  of  New  York,  a  series  of  ffty-seven  \ 
letters,  containing  a  full,  exact  and  exceedingly  valuable 
description  of  the  different  countries  he  visited — ^their  physi- 
cal appearance,  their  cities  and  important  localities,  and 
the  most  striking  peculiarities  of  the  manners  and  customs, 
and  the  religious  and  political  condition  of  their  inhabitants. 

Mr.  Baird  has  not  summed  up  the  results  of  his  mission, 
but  he  has  briefly  noticed  the  principal  difficulties  which 
confronted  the  cause  he  advocated.     The  want  of  proper  ' 
men  and  of  sufficient  means  to  carry  forward  the  movement 


142 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIIW, 


coiistituted  serious  obstacles.  In  most  of  the  countries  of 
Europe  there  was  a  lack  of  the  moral  power  requisite  for 
succ'.^^ful  enterprise.  Several  of  the  governments  which 
derived  large  revenues  from  the  duties  on  the"  manufacture, 
importation  and  sale  of  ardent  spirits,  naturally  feared  pecu- 
niary loss  which  would  be  entailed  by  the  diffusion  of  Tem- 
perance principles.  While  another  and  not  less  threaten- 
ing barrier  was  erected  bv  tlie  jealousy  entertained  by  the 
rulers  of  all  combination  of.  the  people  in  societies  which 
might,  by  any  possibility,  be  turned  to  political  purposes. 
It  was,  accordingly,  Mr.  Baird's  endeavor  to  exhibit  clearly 
the  fact  that  the  Temperance  Societies  in  the  United  States 
had  never  meddled  with  subjects  which  were  beyond  their 
legitimate  province,  nor  been  perverted  to  partisan  ends. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PROSPECTS  OF  PROTESTANTISM  IN  FRANCE.  TOUR  IN  ITALY. 
AVIGNON.  PALACE  OF  THE  INQUISITION.  GENOA.  ROME. 
CEREMONIAL  OF  HOLY  WEEK.  ANTIQUITIES.  NAPLES. 
FLORENCE.  VENICE.  MILAN.  TURIN.  EVANGELICAL  LA- 
BORS  IN   ITALY.      THE  WALDENSES.      COLONEL  BECKWITH. 

1837. 

THE  autumn  and  the  winter  succeeding  Mr.  Baird's  first 
visit  to  the  Scandinavian  countries,  which  has  been 
described  in  the  last  chapters,  were  spent  in  Paris.  Tlie 
unusual  marks  of  distinction  which  had  been  shown  to  him 
bv  several  of  the  monarchs  to  whose  society  he  had  been 
admitted,  with  a  freedom  rarely  accorded  to  private  indi- 
viduals, and  which  were  given  to  him  because,  to  use  the 
language  of  one  of  their  number,  "  he  was  one  of  the  first 
foreigners  that  has  sought  an  audience  with  no  private  re- 
quests to  make,"  had  not  in  the  least  diminished  his  inter- 
est in  his  work.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  only  the  more 
anxious  to  labor  for  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  men  ;  and 
it  was  a  source  of  encouragement  and  of  hearty  thanks- 
giving to  God  to  believe  "  that  in  his  humble  way  he  had 
been  permitted  to  do  something  to  further  the  interests  of 
the  kingdom  of  Christ."  His  mind  was  more  and  more 
convinced  of  the  promising  character  of  the  French  mission- 
ary field.  What  had  with  him  been  a  matter  of  conjecture, 
was  now  a  certainty.  The  great  progress  of  Protestantism 
within  the  past  few  years  demonstrated  the  fact  that  the 

(143) 


»4+ 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR  BAIRD. 


conversion  of  Romanists  was  no  impossibility  ;  that  the 
plain  evangelist,  and  the  colporteur  with  his  tracts  and  re- 
ligious books,  were  powerful  engines  to  batter  down  the 
structure  of  superstition  which  ages  of  credulity  and  igno- 
rance liad  erected  ;  and  that  the  silent  influence  of  the  ex- 
ample of  a  pure  Christianity  in  the  midst  of  a  worldly  and 
dissolute  community  was  more  potent  than  the  keenest  sar- 
casm or  the  closest  logic  of  the  polemic  writer.  Mr.  Baird  had 
always  advocated  the  kindest  treatment  of  Roman  Catho- 
lics. He  doubted  the  general  utility  of  controversy,  whether 
public  or  private.  Not  that  the  errors  of  a  false  system 
must  not  be  combated  in  the  interest  of  the  truth,  when 
silence  would  seem  to  lend  a  sanction  to  its  assumptions  ; 
nor  that  controversy  ought  to  be  banished  from  the  spliere 
of  the  theologian.  But  he  believed  that  the  testimony  of  a 
consistent  Christian  life  was  more  efficient  in  removing  the 
objections  of  the  unbelieving  than  the  most  elaborate  argu- 
ments of  apologists.  And  he  was  the  more  eager  to  see  the 
light  of  a  pure  Christianity  spreading  in  France,  because 
no  reflective  man  could  doubt  that  if  that  land  were  con- 
verted to  Christ,  it  would  be  the  most  powerful  instrument 
in  the  evanarelization  of  the  rest  of  the  world.  As  it  is  now 
the  staunchest  pillar  of  the  Papacy,  and  the  right  arm  of  its 
missionary  operations,  it  would  become  an  equally  impor- 
tant auxiliary  to  the  cause  of  the  Truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

At  the  close  of  the  winter,  Mr.  Baird  left  Paris  to  visit 
southern  France  and  Italy,  in  order  to  see  what  opportuni- 
ties were  presented  for  the  gradual  introduction  of  the 
Gospel  into  the  very  heart  of  the  Roman  Catholic  world. 
He  had  long  contemplated  this  tour  with  the  greatest  in- 
terest ;  and  he  was  led  to  select  the  present  time  for  the 
execution  of  his  project  by  the  delicate  liealth  of  his  wife, 
whom  he  determined  to  take  from  the  raw  climate  of  Paris 
during  the  early  spring  to  the  sunny  shores  of  the  Medi- 
terranean.    The  fatigues  and  delay  of  the  journey  from 


HALLS  OF  THE  INQUISITION.  145 

Paris  to  Lyons  were  much  increased  by  the  fall  of  a  consid- 
erable quantity  of  snow.  From  Lyons,  where  their  party 
received  some  additions  to  its  numbers,  after  a  day  or  two 
spent  with  the  French  brethren  of  the  place,  they  descended 
tlie  Rhone,  enjo}dng  a  good  opportunity  of  viewing  the 
beautiful  and  fertile  region  through  which  that  river  flows. 
At  Avignon  they  made  a  longer  stay.  In  this  city  the  chief 
object  of  interest  was  the  ancient  palace  of  the  Popes,  now 
turned  in  great  part  into  barracks  for  soldiers,  with  the 
cells  in  which  so  many  of  the  confessors  of  the  truth  were 
confined  during  the  Middle  Ages,  and  the  halls  in  which  they 
were  examined  by  torture,  were  tried  by  ecclesiastical  judges, 
and  suffered  by  slow  burning.  The  walls  of  these  scenes  of 
their  last  conflicts  in  the  flesh,  at  that  time  bore  testimony 
to  their  constancy  and  godliness,  by  the  simple  expressions 
of  pious  resignation  which  their  hands  had  traced  upon 
them — "  Blessed  are  they  which  do  hunger  and  thirst  after 
righteousness  :  for  thev  shall  be  filled."  "  The  truth  of  the 
Lord  endureth  forever."  Since  that  time  the  Government, 
elsewhere  so  reverent  towards' all  that  belongs  to  remote 
antiquity  (at  the  instigation  of  ecclesiastics  who  entertain 
greater  fear  of  the  impression  which  this  "  handwriting  upon 
the  wall"  is  calculated  to  make  in  this  age  of  liberty  of 
conscience  and  reflection,  than  its  authors  felt  in  view  of 
the  flame  and  the  gibbet),  has  caused  these  lines  and  the 
names  of  the  martyrs  to  be  obliterated.  Alas,  that  no  mor- 
tal hand  can  erase  the  record  of  the  barbarities  inflicted 
upon  men  created  in  God's  own  image  for  the  mere  profes- 
sion of  the  truth — a  record  graven  deep  upon  the  pages  of 
history,  and  which  nhall  outlive  the  race  itself. 

From  Avignon,  with  its  mongrel  population — half  Italian 
and  half  Frencli — a  symbol  of  the  decadence  of  the  Papacy, 
to  which  it  owed  its  former  importance,  when  instead  of 
barely  32,000  inhabitants,  it  contained  80,000— Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Baird  started  for  Marseilles,  and  there  embarked  for 
10 


146  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRB.  \   ' 

Genoa.  A  day  or  two  were  spent  in  visiting  the  chief  ob- 
jects of  interest — the  churches,  palaces  and  educational  and 
charitable  institutions  of  this  city.  Letters  of  inti^bduction 
which  Mr.  Baird  carried,  admitted  him  to  the  very 'beautiful 
villa  of  the  Marquis  di  Negro,  by  whom  he  was  -Mndly  re- 
ceived. In  the  midst  of  a  superstitious  people^  and  in  a 
city  abounding  in  priests,  Mr.  Baird  found  only  two  places 
for  Protestant  worship — the  first  of  the  French  ^Reformed 
Church  and  the  other  of  the  English  Established  Church,  in 
neither  of  which,  it  was  feared,  was  the  Gospel  Reached  in 
its  purity.  ^Jj 

From  Genoa  the  party  posted  along  the  Italian  coast, 
through  Pisa,  where  they  paused  a  few  hours  to  see  the 
famous  Cathedral,  Baptistery,  Campo  Santo  and  Leaning 
Tower  ;  and  on  the  22d  of  March  crossed  the  Tiber  by  the 
Milvian  Bridge,  and  entered  Rome  by  the  Porta  del  Popolo. 
It  was  the  middle  of  Holy  Week,  and  several  of  the  suc- 
ceeding days  were  principally  spent  in  witnessing  the  gor- 
geous ceremonies  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  which  at- 
tract to  Rome  so  vast  a  concourse  of  strangers  from  every 
part  of  the  world.  On  two  of  these  days  Mr.  Baird  and  his 
companions  listened  to  the  chanting  of  the  "  Miserere  "  in  the 
Sistine  Chapel ;  on  another  occasion  they  beheld  the  wash- 
ing of  the  pilgrims'  feet  by  the  Pope,  and  on  the  Saturday 
morning  preceding  Easter,  they  saw  the  baptism  of  a  Moor- 
ish convert  to  Christianity,  at  the  old  basilica  of  St.  John 
Lateran.  In  the  ceremonial  of  the  "  Resurrection,"  as  it  is 
called,  performed  in  the  Sistine  Chapel,  to  which  Mr.  Baird 
returned  that  afternoon,  he  was  struck  with  a  circumstance 
which  he  has  noted  in  one  of  his  letters.  The  assembled 
cardinals,  ranged  in  their  scarlet  robes,  knelt  down  for  an 
instant  at  the  beginning  of  each  prayer,  and  then  stood  in 
reverent  attitude  until  its  conclusion  ;  but  when  the  peti- 
tion for  the  conversion  of  the  poor  Jews  was  reached,  not  a 
knee  was  bent,  but  each  standing  erect  in  his  place,  ex- 


HOL Y  WEEK  AT  R OME.  1 47 

pressed  by  the  contrast  with  the  former  genuflections,  his 
abhorrence  of  the  impiety  of  those  who  put  the  blessed  Sav- 
iour to  death !  In  the  neighboring  audience  chamber  he 
was  struck,  as  have  been  so  many  Protestant  travelers  be- 
fore him  and  since,  with  the  audacity  of  those  who  selected 
the  Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Eve  for  the  subject  of 
one  of  the  immense  paintings  that  decorate  its  walls.  On 
Easter  morning  he  was  present  at  the  services  that  com- 
memorate the  completed  Resurrection,  and  watched  the  pon- 
tiff, as  with  uplifted  hand  he  pronounced  liis  solemn  bene- 
diction upon  the  assembled  crowds  in  the  spacious  aisles  of 
St.  Peter's,  and  on  the  square  in  front  of  the  basilica.  These 
were  sights,  he  notes,  that  pleased  the  taste,  gratified  by 
the  beauties  of  arrangement  and  music,  appealing  to  the  eye 
and  ear  ;  but  strangely  out  of  place  in  the  house  of  God, 
and  in  ceremonies  ostensibly  in  honor  of  His  name.  Of  the 
various  actors  in  the  pageant,  he  says  :  "  With  few  excep- 
tions, I  think  I  have  never  seen  men  engaged  in  the  solemn 
service  of  God  who  had  so  little  of  a  devotional  appearance 
as  the  cardinals.  The  Pope  (the  late  Gregory  XYI.)  is  an 
amiable-looking  old  man,  and  has  the  reputation  of  being  a 
good  man  and  of  possessing  considerable  talent.  Tlie  parish 
priests  of  Rome  are  not  well  spoken  of.  But  I  have  seldom 
seen  people  more  devout  in  appearance,  and  desirous  of  the 
benefits  of  religion  than  the  lower  classes  of  Rome,  and  of 
Italy  generally,  when  in  the  churches.  The  contrast  be- 
tween their  serious  appearance,  and  the  levity  of  many  of 
the  priests  and  cardinals  was  very  striking  to  my  mind." 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  mention  that  with  the  small  hand- 
ful of  Christians  who  formed  his  party,  and  with  others 
whom  they  met  from  time  to  time,  the  social  religious  exer- 
cises which  had  been  held  with  so  much  pleasure  and  profit 
every  Saturday  evening,  in  his  apartments  at  Paris,  were 
kept  up  throughout  the  tour  in  Italy.  And  it  was  a  coin- 
cidence which  was  particularly  noted,  that  the  passage  of 


148  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

the  book  of  Acts  wliicli  came  up  in  course  for  reading  and 
meditation  on  the  first  Saturday  evening  after  their  arrival 
at  Rome,  was  the  account  of  St.  Paul's  visit  to  the  "  Eternal 
City."  The  first  chapter  of  the  epistle  to  the  Romans  fur- 
nished the  theme  of  discourse  at  the  next  meeting,  previous 
to  their  departure. 

We  have  not  room  here  to  follow  Mr.  Baird  and  his  party 
in  their  very  thorough  exploration  of  Rome,  both  ancient  and 
modern.  They  were  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  for  several 
consecutive  days  the  company  of  the  late  Professor  Nibby, 
at  that  time  considered  the  most  accurate  and  well-informed 
of  all  the  Italian  antiquarians,  a  polished  gentleman,  as  well 
as  a  conscientious  scholar,  under  whose  guidance  they  visited 
the  city  in  detail,  after  having  first  fixed  in  their  minds  its 
leading  features  by  a  view  from  the  top  of  tlie  elevated 
tower  of  the  Senator's  house  on  the  Capitoline  Hill.  By 
this  arrangement  they  freed  themselves  from  the  garrulity 
of  ignorant  "  cicerones,"  and  avoided  associations  that  could 
not  but  detract  from  the  interest  of  these  classical  scenes. 

In  the  intervals  between  the  hours  spent  in  viewing  the 
remarkable  objects  of  Rome,  he  called  upon  several  persons 
of  distinction  to  whom  he  had  letters  of  introduction.  One 
of  tliese  was  M.  Chevalier  Bunsen — a  disciple  of  Neibuhr 
and  an  eminent  scholar,  both  in  profane  and  in  sacred  anti- 
quities— at  that  time  Prussian  ambassador  to  the  Holy  See. 
The  acquaintance  thus  formed  ripened  into  friendship  in 
several  interviews  during  his  stay  in  this  city,  and  when  he 
met  him  in  Berlin,  and  in  London,  where  Chevalier  Bunsen 
spent  the  last  days  of  his  life  as  the  diplomatic  representa- 
tive of  Prussia.  He  was  also  introduced  to  the  celebrated 
Cardinal  Mezzofanti,  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  linguist 
the  present  century  has  witnessed,  and  to  the  sculptor 
Thorwaldsen,  whom  he  subsequently  saw  again  in  his  native 
land. 

After  three  weeks  profitably  spent  in   rendering  them- 


CAPUA  AND  NAPLES.  149 

selves  familiar  witli  the  topography  and  antiquities  of 
Rome,  and  of  its  environs,  including  Tivoli,  Albano,  Tuscu- 
lum,  etc.,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baird,  with  their  friends,  started 
by  land  for  Naples  The  journey  was  interesting  because 
of  the  large  number  of  places  of  note  through  Avhich  they 
passed.  At  Capua,  besides  visiting  the  magnificent  ruin  of 
the  Roman  Amphitheatre  in  the  neighborhood,  they  wit- 
nessed a  review  of  over  10,000  Neapolitan  troops  on  the 
plain  between  the  old  and  the  new  cities  ;  and  had  an  excel- 
lent opportunity  for  seeing  the  King  of  Naples  who  was 
present  on  this  occasion. 

On  the  Sabbath  mornins*  succeedino;  his  arrival,  Mr. 
Baird  attended  the  service  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Vallette,  chap- 
lain of  the  Prussian  embassv,  where  he  found  a  conorreo^a- 
tion  of  about  120  persons,  chiefly  Swiss.  It  was  one  of 
his  principal  objects  in  visiting  Italy  to  become  acquainted 
with  Mr.  Yallette  and  a  few  other  active  Cliristians,  who, 
at  various  points  on  the  peninsula,  were  laboring,  by  every 
means  which  govermental  tyranny  and  priestly  interference 
did  not  prevent,  to  advance  the  kingdom  of  Christ  in  that 
country.  He  was  desirous  of  ascertaining  facts  with  regard 
to  the  possibility  of  introducing  and  distributing  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  the  success  that  had  thus  far  attended  such  at- 
tempts, which  could  not  be  committed  to  the  press,  nor  even 
to  the  privacy  of  a  letter  to  be  sent  through  tlie  mails. 
There  was  too  much  reason  to  believe  that  any  imprudent 
disclosure  would  insure  the  adoption  of  measures  to  put  an 
end  even  to  the  limited  exertions  then  put  forth  to  spread 
the  truth  in  Italy.  Mr.  Baird,  therefore,  conscientiously 
avoided  giving  to  the  details  which  he  learned,  any  pub- 
licity that  might  prove  injurious  to  the  cause  he  had  so 
much  at  heart.  No  Protestant  minister  in  Italy,  at  the 
time  of  which  we  write,  was  laboring  more  effectively  and 
unostentatiously  than  Mr.  Yallette,  who  had  been  ten  or 
twelve  years  at  Naples,  and  had  proved  himself  a  zealous 


150  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

and  faithful  man.  "  He  seeks  in  every  way  to  do  good," 
writes  Mr.  Baird,  "  not  only  to  the  French  and  Germans, 
to  whom  he  preaches  much,  but  also  to  the  Italians,  to 
whom  he  2:ive3  or  lends  suitable  reliofious  books."  Such 
was  the  quiet  manner  in  which  alone  could  any  efforts  be 
made  for  the  evangelization  of  a  land  containing  twenty- 
five  millions  of  inhabitants,  to  almost  all  of  whom  a  pure 
Gospel  can  now  be  preached  with  entire  freedom.  So  great 
were  the  chano-es  which  Mr.  Baird  witnessed  before  the 
close  of  his  life  ;  but  which  the  most  acute  political  prophet 
could  scarcely  have  predicted. 

"  There  are  three  hundred  Protestant  Germans  and  Swiss 
in  Naples,  who  are  permanently  settled  there,"  writes  Mr. 
Baird  in  his  journal.  "  There  are  some  sixty  or  eighty  at 
Salerno  ;  some  families  at  or  near  Xocera,  etc.  There 
are  also  2,300  Protestant  Swiss  among  the  5,000  foreign 
troops  whom  the  King  of  Naples  has  in  his  service.  To 
those  of  them  who  speak  the  Frencl>  language  Mr.  Valette 
preaches  on  the  Sabbath  morning ;  whilst  there  are  two 
German  Protestant  ministers,  or  chaplains,  supported  by 
the  Neapolitan  Government,  who  preach  to  such  of  these 
foreign  soldiers  as  speak  the  German  language.  One  of 
these  preachers  has  some  appearance  of  true  life  and  zeal ; 
the  other  has  little,  if  any,  of  the  spirit  of  his  holy  office. 
There  are  French  and  German  preachers  now  at  the  follow- 
ing places  in  Italy  :  Naples,  Rome,  Florence,  Leghorn, 
Genoa,  Turin,  Bergamo  and  Venice.  May  the  Lord  grant 
to  all  of  them  grace  to  be  faithful  in  tlie  service  of  their 
biased  Master.  They  occupy  posts  of  great  importance. 
I  am  happy  to  hear  a  favorable  account  of  the  greater 
part  of  tliem,  and  I  cannot  but  hope  that  good  will  result 
from  their  labors  in  this  benighted  land." 

Few  points  on  this  journey  Avere  invested  with  more 
pleasant  associations,  or  offered  a  greater  number  of  objects 
of  thrilling  interest  than  did  Naples.    Nearly  two  weeks 


FLORENCE.  151 

were  agreeably  occupied  in  exploring  the  rich  stores  of 
statuary,  paintings  and  other  relics  of  antiquity  from  the 
cities  overwhelmed  by  the  lava  and  ashes  of  Mount  Vesu- 
vius, now  collected  in  the  Museo  Borbonico  ;  and  in  no  less 
interesting  excursions  to  Pozzuoli  and  Baiae,  to  Pompeii 
and  Herculaneum,  to  the  volcano  itself,  and  to  the  wonder- 
fully preserved  temples  and  basilica  of  P^stum.  But  these 
scenes  have  been  so  frequently  described,  that  we  must  pass 
them  over,  and  accompany  the  travelers,  who  sailed  from 
Naples  for  Leghorn,  and,  after  a  brief  stay  at  that  port, 
proceeded  to  Florence.  — 

While  visiting  the  treasures  of  art  in  the  National  Gal- 
lery and  Pitti  Palace,  in  the  cathedral  with  its  wonderful 
dome,  and  in  so  many  other  churches  of  Florence,  Mr. 
Baird  did  not  fail  to  find  access  to  the  little  band  of  Chris- 
tians who  were  striving  to  do  something  for  the  religious 
regeneration  of  Tuscany.  "  I  am  more  and  more  convinced," 
he  writes  after  an  interview  with  some  of  these  devoted 
persons,  "  that  there  is  much  which  American  Christians 
may  do  for  Italy,  in  aiding  the  friends  of  the  truth  here, 
and  at  Rome  and  Naples,  in  publishing  and  circulating 
good  books,  in  supporting  faithful  ministers  in  all  places 
where  there  are  French  and  German  colonies,  and  in  help- 
ing them  to  establish  and  maintain  infant  schools  and  other 
schools  in  which  the  .principles  of  the  Gospel  shall  be 
taught." 

One  morning  was  spent  in  the  recently-established  edu- 
cational institute  for  boys,  where  Mr.  Baird  met  Count 
Guicciardini,  "  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  distinguished  his- 
torian of  that  name,  a  young  nobleman  who  takes  great 
interest  in  infant  schools,  of  which  he  is,  in  fact,  the  founder 
in  Florence.  Thouorh  a  Catholic,  he  is  considered  to  be 
truly  pious."  There  were  at  that  time  three  similar  insti- 
tutions in  the  capital,  including  one  for  the  Jews  ;  and 
twelve  in  Tuscany,  "conducted,  in  a  good  degree,  upon 


152 


LIFE  OF  UEV  DR.  BAIIW. 


evangelical  principles."     "  May  the  Lord,"  adds  Mr.  Baird, 
"  abundantly  bless  this  excellent  undertaking." 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baird 
called  upon  the  Princess  Charlotte  Napoleon,  to  whom  they 
had  lettci^  of  introduction.  This  lady  by  whom  they  were 
very  kindly  received,  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Bonaparte, 
and  the  widow  of  a  son  of  Louis  Bonaparte  (the  father  of 
the  present  emperor  of  France)  who  having  been  engaged 
(in  1831)  in  an  insurrection  against  the  Papal  Government, 
soon  after  died,  as  many  believed,  from  the  effects  of  poison. 

From  Florence  they  crossed  the  Apennines  by  Bologna, 
Ferrara  and  Padua,  to  Venice.  Here  they  spent  several 
days  in  examining  the  church  of  St.  Mark,  the  Doge's 
Palace,  the  Armenian  Convent  on  the  island  of  St.  Laz- 
arus, with  its  singularly  interesting  printing  establishment, 
where  tliey  received  much  attention  from  the  librarian, 
Padre  Pasquale  Aucher,  and  other  places  and  buildings  of 
note.  Passing  by  Yicenza,  Verona  (where  they  stopped 
over  night  and  saw  the  wonderfully  well  preserved  amphi- 
theatre, but  little  inferior  in  interest  to  tlie  Coliseum  of 
Rome  itself),  Mantua,  Cremona,  and  Lodi  they  reached 
Milan.  A  few  days  more  sufficed  to  bring  them  to  Turin, 
whence  Mr.  Baird  rode  out  to  visit  the  Waldenses  in  their 
retired  valleys.  He  was  permitted  to  remain  but  a  short 
time  on  this  visit,  the  first  of  a  series  that  he  was  destined 
to  make  to  the  small  territory  of  this  devoted  people  ;  and 
liis  first  impressions  have  found  a  place  in  a  sketch  append- 
ed to  his  work  on  "  Protestantism  in  Italy,"  published  eiglit 
years  later.  Under  the  hospitable  roof  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Bonjour,  moderator  of  the  Synod  of  the  Vaudois  churches, 
he  was  so  fortunate  as  to  meet  that  Colonel  Beckwith,  whose 
name  is  indissolubly  connected  with  every  step  in  the  march 
of  improvement  witliin  the  past  half  century.  "  This  excel- 
lent man,"  writes  Mr.  Baird,  "  after  losing  a  leg  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Waterloo,  retired  from  the  military  service  of  his 


COLONEL  EECKWITH. 


153 


country  (Englaudj  with  a  handsome  pension.  Some  twenty 
years  ago,  having  heard  of  the  Waldenses  he  went  to  see 
them  :  and  becoming:  ^reatlv  interested  in  them,  he  has 
passed  all  his  time  among  the  n,  save  a  few  months  in  the 
summer  and'  autumn  of  each  year,  which  he  spends  with  his 
mother  and  sisters  in  his  native  land.  As  he  has  never 
married,  and  has  no  relatives  who  are  dependent  on  his 
bounty,  he  has  it  in  his  power  to  devote  the  greater  part 

of  his  verv  considerable  income  to  doino:  ofood  amonsr  these 

..  00a 

poor  people.  And  it  is  delightful  to  see  what  he  has  been 
enabled  to  accomplish.  Xot  only  has  he  caused  to  be  built, 
and  almost  wholly  at  his  own  expense,  some  ten  or  fifteen 
large  and  handsome  parish  schoolhouses,^  some  of  which 
will  accommodate  one  hundred,  or  one  hundred  and  fifty 
scholars,  but  he  mainly  sustains  the  teachers  who  give  in- 
struction in  them.  Not  only  so,  he  has  been  erecting  ham- 
let schoolhouses,  plain,  but  sufficient  structures,  in  a  great 
many  localities.  He  told  us,  in  1837.  that  he  hoped  to  see 
one  hundred  and  sixty  schools  established  in  these  valleys  ; 
and  we  are  happy  to  say  that  he  has  lived  to  see  his  desire 
nearly  accomplished. 

"  No  man  living  is  esteemed  so  much  by  the  Waldenses 
as  Colonel  Beckwith.  His  portrait,  lithographed  at  Paris, 
and  neatly  framed,  is  almost  the  only  ornament  which  one 
sees  in  many  of  their  cottages.  There  he  is  represented, 
just  as  they  so  often  see  him,  with  his  wooden  leg,  his  gun 
on  his  shoulder,  and  his  dog  at  his  side.  Wherever  he  hob- 
bles, he  is  welcome.  He  is  known  by  no  other  name  than 
le  brave  Colonel,  and  le  pauvre  Colonel.  On  one  of  the 
schoolhouses  in  the  parish  of  St.  Jean,  is  an  inscription  to 
this  effect :  Whosoever  passes  this  way,  let  him  hi  ess  the 
narae  of  Colonel  Beckwith.  What  a  beautiful  and  touch- 
ins:  testimonv  to  the  worth  and  beneficence  of  a  humble 

*  This  was  written  in  the  year  1844. 


154 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


and  unostentatious  Christian  foreigner,  whom  the  love  of 
Christ  and  of  souls  has  attracted  to  those  valleys  to  do 
good  to  the  poorest  of  all  God's  people,  as  a  community,  in 
any  part  of  Christendom !  xVnd  what  makes  their  afiection 
for  him  the  more  honorable  to  both,  is  the  fact  that  while 
they  are  Presbyterians,  he  is  an  Episcopalian.  Both  may 
even  be  said  to  be  staunch  in  their  principles. 

"  Well,  indeed,  may  the  Waldenses  love  the  good  Colonel 
Beckwith,  who  is  an  honor  to  our  common  Christianity  ;  for 
he  is  their  steadfast  friend,  their  prudent  counsellor,  a  lib- 
eral benefactor  to  their  poor  people.  He  is  continually 
making  valuable  suggestions,  relating  sometimes  to  the 
modes  of  cultivating  and  irrigating  their  lands,  sometimes 
to  improvements  of  their  roads,  the  construction  of  bridges 
and  paths,  as  well  as  to  the  better  accommodation  of 
strangers.  He  has  aided  them  in  almost  everything  ;  he 
looks  after  everything  :  his  advice  is  sought  in  everything. 
His  post  is  very  important,  and  he  has  filled  it  with  singu- 
lar prudence,  for  he  has  never  had  a  difficulty  with  the  Sar- 
dinian Government.  And,  from  first  to  last,  he  has  proba- 
bly expended  among  these  people,  from  his  own  pocket,  the 
sum  of  thirty  tliousand  dollars." 

From  Turin  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baird  returned  to  their  home 
at  Paris,  taking  Geneva,  where  they  made  a  very  brief  stay, 
on  their  way.  Their  tour  in  Italy  had  occupied  a  little 
over  three  months. 


CHAPTEE   XIV. 

A  SECOND  TOUE  IX  XORTHERX  EUROPE.  BELGIUM.  HOLLAND. 
M.  GROEN  VAN  PRINSTERER.  ST.  PETERSBURG.  MOSCOW. 
POLAND.      SALT  MINES  OF  WIELIECZKA.     OLMUTZ.     VIENNA. 

1837. 

AFTER  the  short  stay  of  two  weeks  at  Paris,  Mr.  Baird 
set  out  (June  16)  upon  a  second  tour  in  northern 
Europe.  When  in  Sweden,  nearly  a  year  before,  he  had 
been  frustrated  in  his  plan  of  visiting  St.  Petersburg,  where 
he  had  hoped  to  be  able  to  accomplish  something  in  the  way 
of  inducing  the  government  to  allow  Temperance  Societies 
to  be  instituted,  and  to  permit  the  Russian  Bible  Society, 
suppressed  a  few  years  previously  by  order  of  the  Emperor, 
in  consequence  of  the  machinations  of  the  Synod  of  the 
Greek  Church,  to  be  reestablished  in  the  empire.  He  now 
deemed  it  best  to  make  the  attempt  which  he  had  then  con- 
templated. Besides  this  object,  he  was  desirous  to  revisit 
Germany,  and  to  consecrate  more  time  than  he  had  been 
able  to  give  on  the  previous  occasion,  to  efforts  in  behalf  of 
Temperance  in  the  different  states  of  the  confederation. 

On  the  Sajpbath,  which  he  spent  at  Brussels,  he  endeav- 
ored to  contribute  to  the  removal  of  some  unhappy  dissen- 
sions in  the  little  evangelical  church  that  had  sprung  up  in 
the  Bel.a'ian  capital,  by  counseling  a  spirit  of  moderation, 
prayer  and  faithful  labor.  "  To-day,"  he  adds  in  a  private 
journal,  "  I  wrote  a  long  letter  to  the  Crown  Prince  of  Prus- 

(155) 


i' 


156  LIFE  OF  BEY.  DR  BAIRD. 

sia,  on  the  subject  of  the  Temperance  Societies  formed  at 
Berlin,  and  begged  him  to  use  his  influence  with  the  Govern- 
ment of  Prussia  to  tolerate  and  encourage  tlie  society  which 
Las  been  formed  on  the  principle  of  total  abstinence,  rather 
than  the  one  which  has  been  formed  on  the  moderation 
principle." 

The  next  day,  proceeding  to  Antwerp  by  railroad,  he 
took  the  diligence  again  to  Breda,  where  he  spent  the  night ; 
and  on  tlie  following  day  reached  the  Hague,  having  crossed 
the  Rhine  three  times  on  the  way,  and  having  taken  a  glance 
at  Botterdam  and  Delft.  That  evening  he  took  tea  at  the 
house  of  M.  Groen  van  Prinsterer,  the  eminent  Dutcli 
scholar,  with  whose  name  and  successful  researches  among 
the  archives  of  Holland  and  Spain,  those  who  have  perused 
the  pages  of  the  "History  of  Philip  the  Second"  and  of  the 
"  Rise  of  the  Dutch  Republic,"  are  familiar  ;  and  of  whom, 
in  connection  with  M.  Gachard,  the  historian  Prescott 
said,  "  That  country  is  fortunate  which  can  command  the 
services  of  such  men  as  these  for  the  illustration  of  its 
national  annals — men  who  with  singular  enthusiasm  for 
their  task  combine  the  higher  qualifications  of  scholarship, 
and  a  talent  for  critical  analysis."  Mr.  Baird  states  that 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  excellent  persons — "  both  humble 
followers  of  the  Lamb  ;"  and  that  M.  Groen,  who  was 
formerly  a  member  of  the  King's  Cabinet,  was  engaged  in 
making  historical  researches,  the  results  of  which  appeared 
in  1838,  under  the  form  of  his  invaluable  "Archives  de 
la  Maison  d'Orange-Nassau." 

While  at  the  Hague,  Mr.  Baird  had  an  audience  with  the 
King  of  the  Netherlands.  The  conversation  turned  chiefly 
upon  the  subject  of  the  Temperance  Societies.  He  writes  : 
"  May  the  Lord  grant  His  blessing  to  the  short  interview 
which  I  had  with  him."  At  Amsterdam  and  Utrecht  he 
paused  long  enough  to  make  inquiries  into  the  religious 
condition  of  Holland,  which  he  left  with  the  assurance  on 


INTERVIEW  WITH  CROWX  PEIXCE. 


157 


the  part  of  Baron  Golstein  and  other  worthy  friends,  that 
they  would  forward  him  fuller  information  respecting  what 
Mr.  Baird  trusted  was  a  genuine  revival  of  religion.  Cross- 
ing into  Germany,  he  entered  Hanover,  Avhich  had  been  since 
the  time  of  George  the  First  united  to  Great  Britain,  but 
which  by  the  death  of  William  the  Fourth,  only  six  days 
before  his  arrival  (June  20, 1837)  had  resumed  its  independ- 
ent existence.  In  remarking  upon  the  condition  of  this 
small  kingdom,  Mr.  Baird  states  that  the  majority  of  the 
clergy  was  composed  of  Rationalists,  and  that  there  was 
little  or  no  evangelical  religion  in  the  university  of  Got- 
tingen. 

Proceeding  next  by  way  of  Magdeburg  to  Berlin,  he  ob- 
tained an  interview  with  the  Crown  Prince  of  Prussia.  ''  I 
have  come  hither,"  he  wrote  to  his  wife,  "just  at  the  right 
time.  I  saw  the  Crown  Prince  yesterday  at  the  Palace  of 
Sans-Souci,  and  was  received  by  him  with  the  greatest 
kindness.  Although  he  was  on  the  point  of  setting  off  on 
a  journey  for  two  weeks,  he  talked  almost  half  an  hour 
with  me,  agreed  with  me  fully  on  the  Temperance  subject, 
promised  to  do  all  that  he  could  in  favor  of  the  right  socie- 
ty, and  gave  me  a  letter  of  introduction  to  his  sister,  the 
Empress  of  Russia.  For  all  this  I  feel  very  thankful.  I 
hope  my  visit  here  will  be  owned  of  God  and  rendered  a 
blessing.  To-day  I  have  written  to  the  king  a  letter  on 
the  same  subject,  which  I  hope  will  do  good.  I  have  also 
seen  several  important  men,*  and  to-morrow  I  am  to  meet 
the  committee  of  one  of  the  societies.  I  am  delighted  to 
find  that  the  Temperance  caase  has  made  such  progress  al- 
ready in  Prussia.  My  book  has  done  great  good.  The 
government  has  done  much  to  forward  the  work.  The 
book  has  excited  great  interest.     It  is  well  translated." 

Besides  visiting  such  objects  of  interest,  as  he  had  time 

*  Among  these  was  Professor  Hengstenberg, 


158  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

to  devote  to,  he  attended  the  Uiiiversity.  "  I  went  tliis 
mornius:,"  he  writes,  "  to  hear  Professors  Twesten  and 
Neander  deliver  lectures  ;  the  former  on  John,  to  some 
forty  students,  the  latter  on  Romans,  to  some  four  or  five 
hundred.  Their  manner  of  lecturing  is  very  singular  and 
uninteresting.  Neander,  Twesten  and  Hengstenberg  are 
the  most  important  Theological  Professors  in  the  Universi- 
ty of  Berlin.'' 

From  Berlin  Mr.  Baird  proceeded  to  Hamburg,  and  from 
there  to  Liibeck,  whence  he  sailed  for  St.  Petersburg.  Af- 
ter much  delay  and  some  disappointment,  he  succeeded  in 
presenting  to  the  empress  the  letter  of  introduction  with 
which  he  had  been  furnished  by  the  Crown  Prince  of  Prus- 
sia. He  was  received  by  her  majesty  at  the  Palace  of 
Peterhofif,  a  few  miles  south-west  of  the  capital,  on  the 
southern  shore  of  the  Gulf  of  Finland.  "  She  entered,"  he 
writes,  "  with  considerable  interest  into  the  subject  of  Tem- 
perance Societies,  and  presented  me  to  her  daughters,  the 
young  grand  duchesses.  The  empress  is  about  thirty-eight 
or  forty  years  of  age,  and  speaks  English  well." 

After  having  visited  all  the  most  interesting  institutions 
of  the  modern  Russian  capital  and  its  vicinity,  he  took  the 
"  dilio-ence  "  for  Moscow,  which  he  reached  after  a  ride  of 
four  days  through  a  level  and  half-cultivated  region,  in 
which  there  were  few  considerable  towns  and  cities,  but  a 
large  number  of  villages,  all  built  in  the  style  which  is 
characteristic  of  Russia,  the  wooden  houses  placed  with 
their  ends  to  the  street,  and  entered  from  a  courtyard  on 
their  sides.  The  singular  city  of  Moscow,  with  its  Krem- 
lin, and  curiously- domed  churches,  and  enormous  bells,  was 
prettv  thoroughly  explored  in  the  course  of  the  few  days 
which  he  spent  there.  Although  disappointed  at  not  find- 
ing at  Moscow  some  persons  whom  he  had  been  particu- 
larly desirous  of  meeting  and  of  influencing  in  favor  of  tho 
Temperance  cause,  among  whom  were  Professor  Hervey 


IJJPUKSSIOXS  OF  RUSSIA.  j  ^g 

and  the  Princess  Sophia  Meschersky,  at  that  time  at  her 
country  residence  120  versts  distant,  his  visit  was  not  alto- 
gether in  vain.  Some  other  individuals  of  great  weight  in 
the  management  of  affairs  were  seen,  and  it  was  hoped  that 
a  favorable  impression  was  made  upon  them.  Among  others 
the  Governor,  Prince  Galitzin,  to  whom  a  copy  of  the  His- 
tory of  Temperance  Societies  was  presented,  became  in  con- 
sequence of  its  perusal,  a  firm  friend  of  the  cause. 

Having  returned  to  St.  Petersburg,  he  started,  after  the 
lapse  of  a  few  days,  for  Riga,  passing  through  the  provinces 
of  Esthonia  and  Livonia,  in  which  he  found  two  separate 
languages  spoken — in  the  former,  a  dialect  closely  resem- 
bling the  Finnish,  and  in  the  latter,  the  Lettish,  a  tongue 
altogether  dissimilar  both  to  the  Esthonian  and  to  the  Euss. 
From  Riga  he  went  to  Warsaw  and  thence  to  Cracow,  at 
that  time  a  free  city  in  name,  with  eight  senators  and  a 
president  chosen  by  the  people,  but  whose  government  was, 
he  tells  us,  very  much  in  the  hands  of  the  resident  Consuls 
or  Charges  of  Austria,  Russia  and  Prussia,  the  Austrians 
maintaining  there  a  considerable  force.  Being  providen- 
tially detained  at  this  point,  he  made  the  acquaintance  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Hitchcock  and  his  wife,  missionaries  of  the 
Jewish  Missionary  Society.  From  these  and  other  Chris- 
tian laborers  whom  he  met  at  Warsaw,  he  learned  much  re- 
specting the  large  Jewish  population  of  Poland,  whose  de- 
based condition  testifies  to  the  rigor  with  which  it  has  been 
long  treated. 

Mr.  Baird's  first  visit  to  Russia,  while  it  left  many  most 
pleasant  impressions,  revealed  to  him  the  magnitude  of  the 
work  that  lay  before  the  Christian  and  the  philanthropist, 
if  they  would  raise  that  vast  empire  to  the  rank  which  it 
ought  to  attain  among  the  nations.  "  Civilization,"  he 
writes,  "has  made  progress,  but  it  is  only  in  its  infancy. 
The  advantages  of  schools  must  be  extended  to  all  the 
inhabitants.     The  Bible  must  be  circulated.     Slavery  must 


i6o  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

come  to  an  end.  At  present  it  does  not  exist  in  Poland, 
Finland,  and  the  tliree  Baltic  provinces  of  Estlionia,  Livo- 
nia and  Courland.  But  it  exists  everywhere  else  to  an 
awful  desrree.  Men,  women  and  children  are  bought  and 
sold  with  the  soil !  And  even  in  those  provinces  in  Avliich 
slavery  has  been  abolished,  much  more  ought  to  be  done  to 
encourage  the  peasants.  Every  facility  ought  to  be  granted 
them  to  enable  them  to  become  owners  of  land  themselves." 

Of  the  ability  ot  the  Emperor  Nicholas,  he  conceived  a 
high  estimate,  wliile  he  was  not  blind  to  the  great  defects 
of  his  administration  :  "  Tlie  present  emperor  is  unques- 
tionably a  man  of  great  capacity  for  governing  this  great 
empire.  He  has  vast  energy  and  decision.  He  is  not  want- 
ing in  kindness,  too,  in  most  cases.  He  is  an  excellent 
father  and  husband.  In  these  respects  he  is  above  reproach. 
That  he  has  been  severe  towards  the  Poles  cannot  be  de- 
nied. That  he  has  had  sufficient  cause  for  his  severity,  I 
would  not  for  a  moment  assert.  I  think  that  he  is  unques- 
tionably popular.  He  moves  about  among  his  people  daily, 
like  a  man  that  knows  no  fear.  He  was  much  amused  at 
Mr.  Wilkins  (our  late  ambassador),  telling  him  that  he 
was  quite  a  republican  in  his  intercourse  with  his  people. , 
Withal,  he  is  exceedingly  laborious  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  as  a  monarch,  desiring  to  know  all  that  is  done,  and 
of  directing  all.  The  nobles  probably  love  him  less  than 
the  common  people." 

Of  Mr.  Baird's  observations  respecting  the  Russian 
Church  and  its  adherents,  we  find  this  record  in  one  of  his 
letters  :  "The  Russians  have  a  very  great  regard  for  their 
religion,  and  great  respect  for  their  priests  and  churches. 
There  is  widespread  superstition  among  them,  and  many 
erroneous  doctrines  and  practices  exist  in  their  church.  I 
speak  now  of  the  mass  of  the  Russians.  They  are  better, 
however,  than  the  Roman  Catholics,  in  three  respects  :  their 
priests  marry,  at  least  all  excepting  the  highest  dignitaries  ; 


THE  RVSSO-GREEK  CHUECK  161 

they  do  not  oppose  the  Scriptures  being  read  by  the  peoplc 
without  note  or  comment ;  and  though  they  use  the  apocry- 
phal books  of  tl.e  Old  Testament,  they  do  not  hold  them  to 
be  canonical.  There  is,  therefore,  good  ground  to  expect  a 
gradual  and  tliorough  reformation  among  them,  as  light 
increases.  But  they  pray  for  the  dead,  administer  the  sac- 
rament of  the  Lord's  Supper  to  infants  (as  I  have  seen  them 
do),  pray  to  saints,  and  indulge  in  many  other  practices 
which  the  word  of  God  has  nowhere  enjoined. 

"  The  interior  of  their  churches  is  gaudy  rather  than 
beautiful.  Their  priests,  with  long  beards  and  gorgeous 
robes,  b.ave  a  very  imposing  appearance  in  the  performance 
of  their  official  duties.  In  general,  they  have  a  look  of 
benevolence,  sincerity  and  simplicity.  Most  of  them  are 
very  ignorant ;  their  duties  are  extremely  onerous,  and 
many  are  poor,  very  poor.  Including  students  and  all 
classes,  the  clergy  of  the  Eusso-Greek  Church  is  said  to 
number  about  a  quarter  of  a  million  souls  ! " 

In  company  with  the  excellent  Christian  friends  whose 
acquaintance  he  had  made  at  Cracow,  he  visited  the  cele- 
brated salt  mines  of  Wielieczka,  five  miles  distant,  and 
within  the  xVustrian  confines.  Descending  by  a  winding 
stairway  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  he  reached  the  cham- 
bers and  galleries  which  have  been  cut  during  the  long 
interval  that  has  elapsed  since  the  mine  was  first  worked, 
in  the  eleventh  century  of  our  era.  There,  in  a  space  over 
eight  thousand  feet  in  length,  and  half  as  broad,  he  found 
nine  hundred  men  constantly  employed  in  hewing  out  the 
native  salt ;  of  which  a  hundred  million  pounds  were  annu- 
ally raised  to  the  surface  of  the  hill.  The  product  of  this 
mine  furnished  a  large  portion  of  the  revenue  of  Austria. 

In  traveling  from  Cracow  to  Vienna,  which  he  next  vis- 
ited, he  passed  through  an  interesting  portion  of  the  Aus- 
trian empire,  in  which  he  was  not  able,  however,  to  tarry, 
save  at  Olmutz,  where  he  visited  the  famous  barracks  in 
11 


i62  LIFE  OF  REV.  BR.  BAIRD. 

wliicli  General  Lafayette  was  so  long  a  prisoner.  The  let- 
ters of  wliicli  lie  was  the  bearer,  introduced  him  to  a  num- 
ber of  persons  whom  he  sought  to  interest  in  the  Temper- 
unce  movement.  One  of  these  was  the  Countess  de  St. 
Aulaire,  wife  of  the  French  Ambassador,  and  a  Roman 
Catholic,  to  whom  he  had  been  recommended  by  the  Baron 
Yon  Gerlack,  and  who  showed  much  interest  in  the  object 
of  his  visit. 

It  had  been  his  intention  to  spend  three  or  four  days  in 
a  trip  to  Pesth  ;  but  i\\Q  obstacles  thrown  in  the  way  of 
those  wishing  to  travel  in  Hungary,  by  the  jealousy  of  the 
government,  were  found  to  be  too  serious  to  be  easily  over- 
come. He  was  consequently  compelled  to  attempt  to  ac- 
complish by  letter  what  he  had  been  desirous  of  doing  in  a 
more  satisfactory  manner  by  personal  interviews. 

After  having  thoroughly  acquainted  himself,  as  far  as 
this  could  be  done  in  so  short  a  time,  with  the  religious 
state  of  Austria,  and  the  few  openings  that  presented  them- 
selves for  the  labors  of  Christian  philanthropists  in  its  be- 
half, and  having  seen  the  most  important  objects  of  interest 
in  the  capital,  he  once  more  turned  his  face  homeward.  He 
reached  Paris  on  the  12th  of  September,  after  a  rapid  jour- 
ney through  southern  Germany  and  the  eastern  part  of 
France. 

Some  notion  of  the  fatigue  which  Mr.  Baird  was  accus- 
tomed to  endure,  as  well  as  of  his  earnest  desire  to  render 
every  moment  as  strictly  available  as  possible  to  the  great 
work  to  which  he  had  consecrated  his  exertions,  may  be 
formed  from  the  following  summary  which  he  appended 
as  a  postscript  to  a  brief  manuscript  diary  of  this  tour  : 
"  The  journey  which  is  described  in  this  book  occupied 
-eighty-eight  dags,  or  nearly  three  months.  It  exceeded  /ire? 
thousand  miles  in  length.  And  thirty-one  of  the  eighty-eight 
nights  were  spent  in  tlie  '  diligences '  and  post-wagons. 
Still  my  health  was  good." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MR.  BAIRD  WRITES  AND  PUBLISHES  A  TREATISE  ON  "THE 
UNION  OP  CHURCH  AND  STATE  IN  NEW  ENGLAND."  LET- 
TER OF  PRINCE  FREDERICK  WILLIAM  OF  PRUSSIA.  RE- 
TURN TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  IN  1838.  IS  APPOINTED 
CORRESPONDING  SECRETARY  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION.  THE 
ASSOCIATION  IS  ENLARGED  INTO  THE  FOREIGN  EVANGEL- 
ICAL  SOCIETY. 

1837-9. 

DURING  the  year  1837,  in  the  course  of  which  Mr. 
Baird  made  the  two  tours,  in  Italy  and  to  Russia, 
which  have  been  noticed  in  the  two  preceding  chapters,  he 
also  found  time  to  publish  at  Paris  in  the  French  language, 
a  treatise  on  "  The  Union  of  Church  and  State  in  New  Eng- 
land, considered  with  reference  to  its  eifects  on  Religion 
in  the  United  States.""^  The  object  of  this  pamphlet  is 
expressed  in  the  first  few  sentences.  "  I  have  often  been 
asked,  since  my  arrival  in  Europe,  how  it  has  come  to  pass 
that  Socinianism  and  Universalism  have  penetrated  into 
the  churches  of  the  United  States,  and  that  the  progress  of 
these  heresies  has  been  so  considerable  as  pretended,  in 
some  portions  of  that  country  whose  first  colonists  were,  for 
the  most  part,  men  of  fervent  piety  and  pure  doctrine.  This 
question  appears  to  me  important,  and  worthy  of  a  careful 

"*  L'Union  de  I'Eglise  et  de  I'Etat  dans  la  Nouvelle  Angleterre,  consider^e 
dans  ses  efFets  sur  la  Religion  aux  Etas-Unis.  Par  un  Americain  (pp.  84), 
Paris,  J.  J.  Risler,  1837, 

(163) 


164  LIFE  OF  MEV.  BR  BAIRD. 

reply.  I  propose  to  endeavor  to  answer  it  here."  After 
rapidly  sketching*  the  high  religious  and  moral  character  of 
J  the  Pilgrim  fathers  of  New  England,  the  author  points  out 
1  two  fundamental  errors  in  the  organization  of  the  colonies — 
the  attempt  to  realize  a  theocratical  State,  and  the  entire 
f  (Jenial  of  the  right  of  dissent  from  the  generally  adopted 
faith.  Next  are  considered  the  effects  of  the  admission  of 
the  pernicious  principle  that  none  but  church  members 
ought  to  enjoy  the  rights  of  citizenship,  of  the  adoption  of 
the  "Half-way  Covenant"  plan,  and  of  a  widespread  belief 
in  the  Lord's  Supper  as  a  means  of  regeneration,  in  which, 
consequently,  not  only  converted  persons,  but  those  also 
whose  minds  were  seriously  disposed  could  properly  partici- 
pate. The  author  then  traces  the  systematic  development 
of  the  legitimate  consequences  of  these  erroneous  principles, 
and  exhibits  further  the  mode  in  which  the  Unitarian  major- 
ity in  many  communities  had  exerted  its  influence  in  secur- 
ing heterodox  clergymen,  and  in  fostering  the  growth  of  its 
own  views  among  the  people.  He  closes  with  a  chapter 
devoted  to  religious  statistics,  from  which  he  infers  that,  if 
Socinianism  and  Unitarianism  are  growing  in  the  United 
States,  it  is  neither  in  proportion  to  the  increase  of  the 
entire  population,  nor  to  the  spread  of  the  denominations 
that  hold  Evangelical  views.  The  conclusion  to  which  the 
facts  he  has  marshaled  in  array  inevitably  lead,  is  that  the 
union  of  Church  and  State  is  a  misfortune,  not  for  New 
England  alone,  but  wherever  it  exists  :  "  Established  in 
the  name  of  religion,  it  is  to  religion  that  the  union  has 
been  most  disastrous.  Men  sought  to  make  it  a  means  of 
strengthening  the  truth,  and  it  has  served  only  to  shake  it. 
For  truth  draws  its  power  from  itself  alone,  and  the  sup- 
ports that  are  given  to  it  enfeeble  ins,tead  of  sustaining  it. 
You  have  seen  it  tied  down  by  bonds  which  were  called 
alliances,  and  unable  to  move  freely  in  the  struggle.  Yon 
have  seen  it,  at  a  later  period,  everywhere  triumphant,  be- 


[TXIOy  OF  CHURCH  AXD  STATE.  165 

cause  nothing  impeded  its  march,  peacefully  spreading  its 
conquests  wherever  man  subjected  the  soil  to  his  empire, 
growing  by  peace  as  well  as  by  war.  What  instruction 
does  not  this  contrast  afford!" 

'•  I  carefully  abstain,"  says  the  author  in  conclusion,  "  from 
making  any  special  application  of  these  reflections.  In 
writing  tliem  I  have  not  had  in  view  one  country  rather 
than  another  :  but  as  a  citizen  of  the  world,  at  the  same 
time  that  I  am  an  American  citizen,  I  have  thought  that 
the  experience  which  America  acquired  at  its  own  cost  might 
be  profitable  to  the  world.  This  is  my  prayer  to  God,  and 
I  supplicate  Him  everywhere  to  place  His  Church  in  cir- 
cumstances the  most  favorable  to  its  perfection  and  pro- 
gress !  I  render  Him  thanks  at  the  same  time,  from  the  bot- 
tom of  my  heart,  that  the  portion  of  that  Church  which  is 
found  in  America  has  finally,  after  long  groping  and  sad 
mistakes,  rejected  the  bonds  of  the  State  ;  and  that  the 
Iruth,  which  there  protects  liberty,  is  in  turn  gaining 
strength  und^  its  shadow,  and  is  extending  in  every  direc- 
tion, strong  through  its  independence !" 

This  interesting  little  treatise,  written  solely  with  the 
aim  of  explaining  some  phenomena  in  the  religious  history 
of  the  United  States  that  seemed  enigmatical  to  serious 
European  observers,  and  of  contributing  to  the  progress  of 
ecclesiastical  freedom  throughout  the  world,  was  never  pub- 
lished in  English.  It  was  sent  to  many  influential  persons 
on  the  continent,  by  whom  it  was  well  received. 

Dm-ing  the  anniversary  week  in  May,  1836,  at  a  meeting 
of  the  friend?  of  the  cause  of  evangelical  religion  in  Eu- 
rope, held  in  the  lecture-room  of  the  Brick  Church  (Rev. 
Dr.  Spring's)  in  the  city  of  New  York,  it  had  been  voted 
that  there  was  abundant  cause  for  encouragement  in  the 
efforts  which  were  being  made  to  advance  evangelical  re- 
ligion not  only  in  France,  but  also  in  other  Roman  Catholic 
countries,  and  that  it  was  advisable  to  drop  the  title  of 


1 66  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

the  "Frencli  Association"  and  adopt  the  designation  of 
the  "  Foreign  Evangelical  Association."  The  earnest  hope 
was  expressed  that  the  wide  field  of  usefulness  opened  to 
the  exertions  of  Protestants  in  Europe  might  at  once  be 
occupied,  and  that  the  dimensions  of  the  Christian  enter- 
prise might  be  greatly  enlarged.  This  desire  was,  however, 
for  the  time  frustrated  by  the  lack  of  a  suitable  person  to 
present  the  claims  of  the  European  missions  in  the  Churches. 
At  length,  in  the  winter  of  1837-8,  it  was  thought  best  to 
recommend  that  Rev.  Mr.  Baird  should  return  to  the 
United  States,  at  least  temporarily,  as  soon  as  he  could 
make  arrangements  for  that  purpose,  and  should  organize 
this  important  effort.  Accordingly,  he  left  Paris  on  the 
14th  of  March,  1838,  and  reached  New  York  on  the  16th 
of  April  following,  having  been  absent  from  his  native  land 
somewhat  more  than  three  yeai^s. 

Previously  to  his  departure,  he  had  forwarded  to  the 
Crown  Prince  of  Prussia  (afterwards  King  Frederick  Wil- 
liam lY.)  a  copy  of  his  treatise  on  the  Union  of  Church  and 
State,  at  the  same  time  writing  to  him  by  mail.  Tlie  reply 
of  the  prince,  addressed  to  Mr.  Baird  at  Paris,  arrived  too 
late  to  find  him  in  France,  and  was  forwarded  to  America. 
It  is  so  interesting  in  itself,  while  it  shows  so  deep  an  ap- 
preciation of  Mr.  Baird's  philanthropic  labors,  that  we  have 
deemed  a  translation  of  it  worthy  of  a  place  here  : 

"  Beellx,  March  20,  1838. 
"  Your  letter  from  Paris,  my  dear  Baird,  whicli  I  have  just  re- 
ceived, has  given  me  very  great  pleasure,  and  I  thank  you  for  it 
with  all  my  heart.  I  render  thanks  to  God  that  he  has  conducted 
you  safe  and  sound  by  so  many  ways,  and  through  the  midst  of  so 
many  different  nations.  I  am  charmed  to  leam  that  you  have  seen 
and  spoken  to  my  sister  of  Russia,  whom  we  hope  soon  to  see  here. 
May  God  hless  what  you  have  sown  with  so  much  Christian  tiiist 
and  constancy  !  Our  TjTolese  of  Zillerthal,  after  having  experienced 
the  cholera  and  the  scourge  of  a  terrible  winter,  are  beginning  to 


LETTER  OF  THE  PRINCE  OF  PRUSSIA.  167 

settle  in  the  beautiful  valley  of  Hirscliberg,  on  lands  of  the  king. 
Their  words  and  their  manners  preach  the  Gospel. 

"  The  little  work  which  you  announce  to  me,  and  for  which  I  am 
infinitely  obliged  to  you  has  not  yet  reached  me.  The  subject  of  which 
it  treats  interests  me  in  a  very  special  manner.  With  you  in  the 
United  States,  the  Church  is  a  stranger  indifferent  to  the  State- 
with  us,  on  the  contrary,  she  is  its  slave.  One  is  as  bad  as  the 
other ;  for  both  are,  I  think,  very  wrong  for  Christian  States. 

"  You  are  leaving  for  America.  May  God  conduct  you !  May  he 
some  day  bring  you  back  into  Germany,  and  grant  your  friends  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  you  again.  Think,  sometimes,  when  you  have  re- 
turned to  your  great  and  beautiful  native  land,  of  your  devoted 

"  Frederick  William, 

"  Prince  Royal  of  Prussia^ 

It  should  be  added,  that,  in  a  reply  to  this  letter,  Mr. 
Baird  endeavored  to  convey  to  the  Prince  a  more  correct 
idea  of  the  relation  which  the  Church  in  America  sustains 
to  the  State ;  and  to  disabuse  his  mind  of  the  impression 
so  generally  entertained  in  Europe,  that  our  civil  govern- 
ment ignores  not  only  Christianity,  but  all  forms  of  religion. 

A  letter  written  by  Mr.  Baird  to  the  Committee  of  the_ 
Foreign  Evangelical  Society,  about  two  months  before  his 
return  to  America,  gives  an  interesting  glimpse  at  the  work 
in  which  he  was  engaged,  and  of  the  progress  of  the  truth 
in  France  during  the  three  years  of  his  sojourn  at  the 
French  capital.  During  the  past  autumn  and  winter  he  had, 
in  conjunction  with  the  Rev.  Edward  N.  Kirk,  established 
and  maintained  a  service  for  Americans  every  Sabbath 
morning  in  the  chapel  of  a  small  French  Church,  worship- 
ing in  the  Rue  Ste.  Anne.  The  social  meetings  held  every 
Saturday  evening  had  been  unusually  interesting,  and,  it 
was  hoped,  profitable,  not  only  to  Americans,  but  to  persons 
of  other  countries.  The  labors  of  the  various  societies 
for  the  evangelization  of  France  had  never  been  more  en- 
couraging. The  call  for  laborers  far  exceeded  the  means 
provided  for  their  support ;  yet  the  number  of  colporteurs 


i68  LIFE  OF  REV.  DIl  BAIED. 

was  steadily  increasing,  and  in  the  two  important  cities  of 
Bordeaux  and  Marseilles,  in  each  of  which  twelve  colpor- 
teurs were  at  work,  it  was  believed  that  there  was  scarcely 
a  family  that  had  not  been  visited.  Nor  were  French 
Christians  content  to  confine  their  exertions  to  their  own 
country.  Algiers  had  been  assumed  as  a  new  field  by  the 
French  Evangelical  Society,  while  the  Society  for  Foreign 
Missions  was  awakening  new  interest  in  its  operations  in 
Southern  Africa  : 

"  There  are  many  things  which  indicate  an  increasing  de- 
sire after  the  Gospel  in  this  country.  You  have  probably 
seen  an  account  of  a  whole  commune,  of  some  fifteen  hundred 
or  two  thousand  inhabitants,  in  the  vicinity  of  Cherbourg, 
turning  Protestant,  within  two  or  three  months.  The  So- 
ciety has  sent  a  fine  young  man  to  preach  there.  But  the 
Government  has  interfered  to  prevent !  And  just  so  it  is. 
At  the  moment  when  the  people  are  becoming  desirous  to 
hear  the  Gospel,  this  Government,  which  is  greatly  pressed 
by  the  Catholics,  and  more  so  than  usual  of  late,  is  throw- 
ing obstacles  in  the  way.  In  many  cases,  permission  to  open 
new  chapels  is  refused."  Several  suits  had  been  carried  into 
the  courts,  and  in  one  case  at  Orleans  the  judges  had  de- 
cided in  favor  of  the  Society.  An  appe:il  had  been  taken  to 
the  Court  of  Cassation.  If  the  decision  be  confirmed,  the 
writer  proceeds  to  sav.  reliirious  libertv  mav  be  reofarded  as 
achieved  :  if  not,  tlie  only  recourse  is  to  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies,  witli  petitions  for  the  repeal  of  the  unjust  laws 
which 'are  the  source  of  the  difficulties.  "  It  may  cost  a 
protracted  strugorle,  but  religious  libertv  will  certainlv  irain 
the  day  here,  and  the  obstacles  wliicli  now  exist  will  be  re- 
moved."' Under  these  promising  circumstances,  his  only 
regret  is  that  the  limited  means  at  the  disposal  of  the  Asso- 
ciation allow  him  to  lend  so  little  assistance  to  the  efforts 
made  to  spread  the  truth  in  France. 

Mr.  Baird's  stav  in  the  United  States  extended  from 


RETURN  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES.  169 

April,  1838  to  August,  1839.  At  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  Association,  held  in  the  month  of  May  following  his 
return,  he  gave  a  full  account  of  the  results  of  his  mission, 
and  was  appointed  Corresponding  Secretary  and  General 
Agent.  During  the  ensuing  year,  his  time  was  taken  up 
altogether  witli  labors  to  interest  the  Churches  in  the  claims 
of  the  cause  of  the  evangelization  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
countries  of  Europe.  Leaving  his  family  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  time  in  Princeton,  Xew  Jersey,  he  visited 
almost  every  part  of  the  Eastern  and  Northern  States, 
and  many  places  in  the  Southern  and  Western  States, 
as  well  as  Montreal  in  Canada.  In  his  next  annual 
report,  in  which  he  gave  an  outline  of  these  efforts,  he 
stated  that  he  had  preached  in  behalf  of  the  Association 
every  Sabbath  within  the  past  eleven  months,  with  two  ex- 
ceptions ;  and  had  ordinarily  delivered  three  discourses 
each  Lord's  Day.  He  had  further  addressed  a  large  num- 
ber of  meetings  during  the  week,  and  conveyed  special  in- 
formation respecting  Italy  and  various  other  countries  of 
Europe.  By  means  of  these  familiar  presentations  of  the 
subject,  he  was  enabled  to  induce  the  ladies  of  a  number 
of  Churches  to  form  auxiliary  associations,  and  pledge 
themselves  to  support  an  evangelist  or  a  colporteur  in 
France.  Xor  did  he  fail  to  speak  more  than  once  on  the 
state  of  temperance  and  education  in  Europe — subjects 
in  whicli,  as  we  have  seen,  he  was  ever  deeply  interested^ 
"  In  a  word,"  he  writes,  "  I  have  labored  incessantly  to  dis- 
seminate all  the  information  I  could,  which  might,  by  any 
means  have  a  bearing  upon  the  promotion  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  in  the  countries  which  constitute  the  field  of  labor 
of  the  Association.  And  I  must  say,  in  reviewing  the  whole 
ground  over  which  I  have  passed,  that  I  have  found  that 
our  churches,  in  general,  became  deeply  interested  in  tlie 
objects  of  this  Association,  wherever  tliose  objects  were  fully 
presented  to  them.     And  I  believe  that,  without  exception, 


17 o  LIFE  OF  BEV.  LR..  BAIRD. 

all  those  who  are  friendly  to  this  Association  are  decidedly 
in  favor  of  its  enlargement  into  a  Society,  and  of  its  taking 
its  place  among  the  other  important  religious  and  benev- 
olent societies  of  our  country." 

The  suggestion  here  made  was  carried  into  effect  in  May, 
1839,  when  the  "Association*'  became  the  "Foreign  Evan- 
gelical Society."  Tlie  Hon.  Theodore  Frelinghuysen, 
Chancellor  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
was  elected  President,  and  the  Rev.  Robert  Baird  and  the 
Rev.  Edward  N.  Kirk,  Corresponding  Secretaries.  It  was 
soon  afterwards  decided  by  the  Executive  Committee  of 
the  new  society,  that  Mr.  Baird  should  return  to  France, 
to  superintend  the  operations  in  Europe,  and  take  up  his 
residence,  at  least  for  the  present,  at  Paris.  Mr.  Kirk, 
who  had  been  at  the  French  capital  during  the  past  two 
years,  and  had  preached  the  Gospel  with  great  acceptance 
to  the  American  residents,  came  back  to  the  United  States 
to  superintend  the  Avork  at  home. 

Before  his  return  to  Europe,  Mr.  Baird  wrote  and  pub- 
lished at  New  York  a  small  volume  of  Christian  biography, 
under  the  title  of  "  Transplanted  Flowers."  It  contained 
a  brief  sketch  of  the  lives  of  four  devoted  Christian  ladies, 
with  whose  history  he  had  become  acquainted  while  in 
Paris — Mrs.  Rumpff,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor, 
to  whom  reference  has  before  been  made  in  these  pages  ; 
the  Duchess  de  Broglie,  daughter  of  Madame  de  Stael ; 
Mrs.  Grandpierre,  and  Mrs.  Monod.  An  English  reprint, 
omitting  the  last  two  brief  noltces,  was  made  by  the  Re- 
ligious Tract  Society  at  London  during  the  same  year. 


CHAPTEE  XVI. 

IXTERYIEW  WITH  THE  KING  OF  HOLLAND  AND  THE  DUTCH 
MINISTER  FOR  THE  COLONIES,  IN  BEHALF  OF  THE  MIS- 
SIONS OF  THE  AMERICAN  BOARD  IN  INDIA.  TOUR  IN 
SOUTHERN  FRANCE.  SERIOUS  ILLNESS.  INTERVIEW  WITH 
LOUIS   PHILIPPE   RESPECTING   THE   SANDWICH   ISLANDS. 

1839-1841. 

IX  the  month  of  August,  1839,  Mr.  Baird,  with  his  family, 
again  embarked  for  Europe.  Leaving  the  vessel  at 
Portsmouth,  they  crossed  the  English  Channel  to  Havre, 
and  reached  Paris  in  the  course  of  the  next  month.  This 
city  was  a  second  time  his  residence  for  nearly  three  years. 
Within  a  few  weeks  after  his  arrival  in  France,  he  made 
two  short  journeys  of  more  than  usual  importance.  The 
first  of  these  was  to  Belgium  and  Holland  ;  the  second  to 
Geneva  and  southern  France.  The  primary  object  of  his 
trip  to  Brussels  was  to  confer  with  the  little  band  of  evan- 
gelical Christians  that  had  gathered  in  the  capital  of  the 
new  kingdom  which  had  been  constructed  out  of  the  prov- 
inces that  once  constituted  the  Austrian  Netherlands.  Now, 
at  length,  true  religion  was  beginning  to  revive  on  the 
ground  from  which  the  fires  of  persecution  kindled  by 
Charles  V.  and  Philip  II.  seemed  to  have  destroyed  every 
trace  of  opposition  to  the  Roman  hierarchy.  Where  in 
1830  there  was  scarcely  a  single  Protestant  to  be  found,  so 
many  converts  had  been  gained  from  Romanism,  that  a 
Belgic  Evangelical  Society,  for  the  promotion  of  domestic 

(171) 


1-2  LIFE  OF  EEY.  DR  BAIUD. 

missions,  had  been  recently  instituted.  It  was  the  desire 
of  Mr.  Baird  and  of  the  society  he  represented,  tliat  America 
miglit  take  part  in  furthering  the  revival  of  true  religion  on 
this  historic  soil. 

Mr.  Baird  had  another  object  in  view  in  extending  his 
journey  to  the  Hague.  The  Prudential  Committee  of  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Forei^-n  Missions, 
learning  that  he  was  about  to  visit  Belgium,  had  desired 
him,  through  tlie  Rev.  B.  Anderson,  D.  D.,  the  Secretary  of 
the  Board,  to  endeavor  to  obtain  a  personal  interview  with 
the  King  of  Holland,  and  procure  the  removal  of  some  inju- 
rious restrictions  tending  to  the  exclusion  of  American 
missionaries  from  Xetherlands  India.  In  the  letter  in  which 
the  request  was  made  at  considerable  length  (August  26, 
1839),  the  pointe  to  be  aimed  at  were  stated  to  be  these  : 
To  convince  the  government  of  Holland  that  the  missions 
of  the  Board  had  no  connection  with  commerce  or  politics, 
and  thao  the  Board  acknowledged  a  subjection  to  tlie  pow- 
ers that  be,  wherever  it  had  missions  ;  to  obtain  the  removal 
of  the  regulation  that  confined  the  labors  of  the  American 
missionaries  to  the  island  of  Borneo,  excludimr  them  from 
Sumatra,  Celebes,  and  other  islands  of  the  Indian  Archi- 
pelago ;  and  to  have  the  American  missionaries  destined 
for  Borneo,  freed  from  the  necessity  of  spending  a  year  at 
Batavia,  or  of  even  going  there  before  they  were  allowed  to 
proceed  to  that  island.  He  was  instructed  to  state  to  the 
King  of  Holland  that  the  missionaries  sent  to  Netherlands 
India  would  be  for  the  most  part,  if  not  altogether,  members 
of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of  the  United  States.  Yet 
the  Board  saw  no  sufficient  reason  wliy  tlie  Dutch  Govern- 
ment should  restrict  the  right  of  admission  to  these  oriental 
possessions  to  the  missionaries  of  this  or  any  other  Churcli. 

As  soon  as  lie  arrived  at  the  Hague,  Mr.  Baird  called 
upon  the  xVmerican  charge  d'affaires,  the  Hon.  Hermaunus 
Bleecker,  to  whom  he  had  a  letter  of  introduction,  and  in 


INTERVIEW  WITH  THE  EIFO  OF  HOLLAND. 


173 


accordance  with  his  advice  and  that  of  an  excellent  Wal- 
loon clergyman,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Secretan,  he  resolved  to  make 
application,  first  of  all,  to  the  Minister  of  State  for  the 
Colonies.  This  gentleman.  General  Van  der  Bosch,  to 
whose  department  the  subject  properly  belonged,  was  a  man 
of  great  influence,  who  had  himself  been  for  a  long  time 
Governor-general  of  Netherlands  India.  In  a  first  inter- 
view Mr.  Baird  presented  to  General  Van  der  Bosch  a  full 
view  of  the  entire  subject,  through  the  medium  of  the  French 
language,  and  left  in  his  hands  a  translation  of  the  state- 
ment of  the  principal  facts  with  which  he  had  been  furnished 
by  the  Eev.  Dr.  Anderson,  Secretary  of  the  American  Board. 
The  minister  promised  to  take  the  subject  into  considera- 
tion. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Baird  had  an  interview  with  the 
King  of  Holland.  Fully  aware  that  the  monarch  would 
certainly  be  guided  in  his  decision  principally  by  the  sug- 
gestions of  his  cabinet  officer,  he  anticipated  no  results  of 
great  importance.  The  most  that  he  hoped  to  accomplish 
was  to  direct  the  king's  attention  to  the  fact  that  mission- 
aries had  been  sent  from  the  United  States  by  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church,  under  the  auspices  of  the  American  Board, 
and  to  invoke  for  them  his  majesty's  fostering  care  and  pro- 
tection. He  endeavored  to  impress  his  mind  with  the 
strong  sentiment  of  affection  for  the  land  of  their  ancestors, 
which  the  Dutch  churches  had  evinced  in  j^referring  to  send 
their  missionaries  to  Netherlands  India,  rather  than  to  any 
other  field,  although  the  whole  heathen  world  lay  before 
them.  The  king  was  evidently  gratified  by  this  statement 
of  the  case,  and  made  a  number  of  inquiries  respecting  the 
number  and  condition  of  the  Dutch  churches  in  the  United 
States.  And  when  Mr.  Baird  rose  to  leave,  his  majesty 
expressed  himself  highly  pleased,  and  said  that  he  heartily 
wished  all  manner  of  success  to  the  enterprise  to  which  the 
interview  had  reference. 


Mr.  Baircl  liad  avoided  entering  into  much  detail  respect- 
ing the  difficulties  which  missionary  labor  luid  encountered 
in  the  Dutch  oriental  possessions,  when  conversing  with  the 
Kino:  of  the  Netherlands.  Not  so,  however,  in  his  inter- 
view  with  General  Van  der  Bosch.  The  minister  gave  him 
the  unexpected  information  that  the  order  which  restricted 
the  missionaries  to  the  Island  of  Borneo,  liad  emanated  from 
the  home  government.  Indeed,  little  doubt  is  entertained 
that  it  was  the  minister  himself  who  penned  it.  And  when 
Mr.  Baird  took  the  liberty  of  asking  the  reasons  for  this 
action,  he  was  able  to  allege  some  which  were  certainly  not 
without  force.  He  denied  that  the  Dutch  Government 
entertained  any  fear  that  the  missionaries  would  meddle 
either  with  politics  or  with  commerce.  On  the  contrary,  he 
asserted  that  he  had,  personally,  the  highest  opinion  of 
American  missionaries,  having,  when  in  India,  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  character  of  many  of  those  laboring  in 
the  British  possessions.*  It  was  his  earnest  desire  to  have 
American  missionaries  admitted  into  the  islands  under  the 
Dutch  rule  ;  but  here  was  the  difficulty.  If  American  mis- 
sionaries were  received,  according  to  the  provisions  of  the 
treaty  of  1815,  it  was  impossible  to  exclude  missionaries 
from  England,  France  or  Austria.  The  Propaganda  would 
soon  be  demanding  permission  for  its  emissaries.  "  Now," 
said  he,  "  we  do  not  want  any  Roman  Catholic  missionaries 
in  Netherlands  India.  We  fear  the  consequences  of  having 
men  of  such  opposite  creeds  and  measures  admitted  to  labor 
amongst  populations  so  peculiarly  difficult  to  govern  as  are 
the  Mohammedan  and  Pagan  tribes  of  Java."  And  the 
minister  even  expressed  the  unwillingness  of  the  Govern- 
ment to  give  an  entrance  to  missionaries  from  England — 

*  To  Mr.  Secretan  lie  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  American  mission- 
aries are  the  best  in  the  world,  because  they  prosecute  their  work  as  men 
who  expect  to  produce  permanent  results,  laying  a  broad  foundation  in 
schools,  printing-presses,  etc. 


A  PPAREXT  SUCCESS.  1 75 

an  unwillingness  resulting  in  part  from  jealousy  of  the  com- 
mercial rivalry  of  that  country,  but  still  more  from  the  deep- 
seated  hatred  entertained  towards  it,  in  consequence  of  the 
conduct  of  the  British  Government  in  relation  to  the  recent 
separation  of  Belgium  from  Holland. 

In  answer  to  the  question,  "  Must  we  then  abandon  the 
field  and  give  up  all  hope  of  sending  missionaries  into  your 
Indian  possessions?''  Mr.  Van  der  Bosch  replied  that,  on 
the  contrary,  he  was  desirous  that  they  might  be  sent.  But 
he  said  that  there  w^  but  one  way  in  which  this  could  be 
done  with  safety  to  the  national  interests  ;  but  one,  indeed, 
which  could  be  entertained  for  a  single  moment.  The  plan 
which  he  proceeded  to  unfold  was  the  following  :  That  all 
the  missionaries  hereafter  sent  out  from  America  should 
take  Holland  upon  their  way  to  India,  and,  after  forming 
the  acquaintance  of  the  directors  of  the  Netherlands  Mis- 
sionary Society,  should  proceed  to  their  destination  invested 
with  the  additional  commission  of  missionaries  of  that  so- 
ciety. This  course  would  also  furnish  them  the  opportunity 
of  commencing  the  study  of  the  Malay,  under  the  instruction 
of  a  native  professor  of  that  language  residing  at  Breda. 
And  having  procured  all  the  necessary  works  in  Holland, 
they  might  prosecute  the  study  while  upon  their  long  voy- 
age from  Rotterdam  or  Amsterdam  to  Batavia. 

The  sincere  interest  which  General  Yan  der  Bosch  took 
in  this  subject  was  evinced  still  further  by  the  fact  that  he 
was  at  the  pains  of  writing  directly  to  the  Missionary  Soci- 
ety of  the  Netherlands  (at  Rotterdam)  on  the  subject,  as 
well  as  of  giving  Mr.  Baird  a  letter  of  introduction  to 
Baron  Mackay,  one  of  the  most  prominent  members  of  the 
Board  of  Directors.  Upon  Baron  Mackay  and  Mr.  Ledde- 
boer,  the  Secretary  of  the  Society,  Mr.  Baird  called  on  his 
return  to  Rotterdam.  In  conference  with  these  gentlemen, 
he  learned  that  the  Society  cordially  approved  of  the  plan 
that  had  been  suggested  by  the  Minister  of  State  for  the 


176  LIFE  OF  REV.  I)R  BAIRD. 

Colonics  ;  and  tliat  it. would  gladly  receivo  among  the  nimi- 
ber  of  its  missionaries  tlic  young  men  who  might  be  sent 
out  from  the  United  States  to  study  and  be  ordained  in 
Holland. 

Such  were,  in  brief,  the  important  results  reached  by  the 
interviews  of  Mr.  Baird,  as  delineated  in  a  long  letter  from 
Paris,  Xovember  14,  1839,  to  the  Rev.  R.  Anderson,  D.  D. 
It  was,  however,  deemed  prudent  to  abstain  from  giving  to 
tlie  arrangement  indicated  much  immediate  publicity.  Un- 
fortunately, the  Dutch  Ministry  seems  to  have  soon  come  to 
a  conclusion  at  variance  with  that  announced  to  Mr.  Baird, 
for  an  order  was  within  a  year  or  two  conveyed  to  the 
Netherlands  Missionary  Society,  requiring  them  to  send 
only  native  Dutch  missionaries  to  the  oriental  possessions 
of  Holland.  Xor  was  it  in  the  power  of  the  Rev.  Isaac 
Ferris,  D.  D.,  who  went  to  the  Hague,  on  behalf  jointly  of 
the  American  Board  and  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of 
the  I^eformed  Dutch  Church,  two  years  later,  to  effect  a 
revei'sal  of  the  determination  expressed  by  the  Government, 
to  maintain  the  exclusion  of  foreigners  from  their  interior 
possessions  in  the  Indian  Archipelago,  as  a  principle  of  set- 
tled State  policy. 

The  journey  which  Mr.  Baird  took  to  Geneva  in  the 
month  of  November,  1839,  had  for  its  object  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  "American  Committee  of  Correspondence,"  or 
"American-Swiss  Committee,"  as  it  was  afterwards  called. 
The  plan  of  such  a  committee  originated  with  some  of  the 
most  experienced  friends  of  the  work  of  evangelization  in 
France.  "  The  specific  objects  "  sought  in  its  formation,  we 
are  told,  were  "  to  furnisli  a  more  direct  and  intimate  con- 
nection with  this  interesting  field  of  evangelical  labors  ;  to 
exercise  a  salutary  control  over  the  expenditure  of  moneys 
committed  to  us  by  the  churches ;  to  give  to  our  churches  a 
more  definite  sphere  of  operations,  for  which  they  are  thus 
directly  and  solely  responsible  ;  and  to  secure  a  constant 


AMERICAN-SWISS  COMMITTEE.  177 

return  of  detailed  information  wliicli  may  keep  alive  a  yivid 
and  glowing  interest  in  the  work."  It  was  believed  that 
these  objects  could  be  attained  more  satisfactorily  by  work- 
ing through  such  an  independent  organization,  than  by  con- 
tinuinsf  to  entrust  the  funds  raised  in  the  United  States  for 
the  promotion  of  the  truth  in  France  altogether  to  the  French 
Evangelical  Society,  or,  indeed,  to  the  society  having  the 
same  purpose  in  view  in  Geneva.  The  American  Churches, 
in  the  opinion  of  those  best  qualified  to  judge,  would  never 
enter  into  the  work  with  their  whole  heart,  until  they  could 
see  some  of  the  distinct  fruits  of  their  benevolence  and  self- 
denial,  and  feel  that  their  contributions  were  sensibly  affect- 
ing the  progress  of  the  cause  of  Christ.  No  sufficiently  ap- 
propriate arrangements  had  as  yet  been  agreed  upon  to 
attain  this  end,  with  the  Evangelical  Society  of  Paris.  Yet, 
while  instituting  the  American-Swiss  Committee  at  Geneva, 
the  Foreign  Evangelical  Society  disclaimed  all  intention  of 
inauo-uratino^  anv  unhealthv  rivalrv  with  the  existino^  socio- 
ties,  or  of  wholly  withdrawing  its  cooperation  from  them. 
Indeed,  the  American  Churches  have  continued  to  contribute 
yearly  considerable  sums  to  the  treasuries  of  those  societies, 
through  the  Foreign  Evangelical  Society  and  its  successor^ 
the  American  and  Foreign  Christian  Union. 

The  American-Swiss  Committee  was  constituted  under  the 
presidency  of  that  well-known  and  devoted  Christian  gentle- 
man, the  late  Col.  Henri  Tronchin.  and  comprised  from  six 
to  ten  clergymen  and  laymen  residing  at  Geneva  (among 
whom  may  be  mentioned  the  Rev.  Caesar  Malan,  D.D.,  and 
Prof.  De  La  Harpe),  besides  one  or  more  of  the  efficient 
Christian  brethren  of  Lyons.  Mr.  Baird  was  a  member  as 
a  delegate  of  the  American  Society.  It  began  its  opera- 
tions in  France,  in  the  course  of  the  following  year,  by 
means  of  pastors,  evangelists  and  colporteurs  ;  and,  it  may 
be  interesting  to  notice  that  the  ancient  city  of  Yienne, 
below  Lyons,  was  the  initial  point. 
12 


178  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

The  plan  thus  adopted  had  been  first  suggested  by  others. 
Mr.  Baird  at  first  entertained  grave  doubts  of  its  expe- 
diency. He  was  unwilling  to  alienate  the  French  bretli- 
ren,  for  wliom,  if  he  could  not  always  agree  with  their 
views,  he  had  a  strong  affection  ;  and  he  therefore  insisted 
upon  not  entirely  diverting  the  aid  which  had  heretofore 
been  given  them.  And  he  regarded  the  state  of  things  in 
France,  "  especially  since  the  decision,  by  the  Court  of 
Cassation,  of  the  affair  of  Montargis,"  as  requiring  "  great 
prudence."  It  was  evidently  necessary  to  avoid,  as  much 
as  possible,  exciting  French  jealousy  of  foreign  interference, 
even  in  matters  of  religion.  But  mature  deliberation,  and 
conference  with  many  judicious  individuals  in  France  and 
Switzerland,  had  led  him  to  give  the  plan  of  establishing 
the  new  committee,  his  hearty  approval. 

Having  adjusted,  with  the  help  of  the  excellent  brethren 
of  Geneva,  the  relations  of  the  American-Swiss  Committee 
to  the  Foreign  Evangelical  Society,  Mr.  Baird  proceeded 
in  the  "  malle-poste "  to  Lyons,  where  he  again  visited  the 
flourishing  church,  to  which,  he  tells  us,  many  could  not 
gain  admission,  at  the  services  that  he  attended,  on  account 
of  the  want  of  room.  He  was  struck  with  the  great  pro- 
gress which  the  the  truth  had  there  made,  since  his  last 
visit  in  1837  ;  and  was  more  and  more  convinced  that  Lyons 
was  "  one  of  the  most  important  points  in  all  France." 
He  found,  indeed,  that  the  number  of  converted  Roman 
Catholics  was  so  great,  that  a  new  meeting  had  been  insti- 
tuted in  the  populous  suburb  of  Yaize,  where  120  hearers 
formed  the  germ  of  a  new  church.  Promising  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Cordez,  tlieir  worthy  pastor,  to  endeavor  to  interest  the 
American  Cliurches  in  securing  them  the  means  of  building 
a  permanent  edifice,  Mr.  Baird  continued  his  journey  to 
Marseilles,  where  he  was  desirous  of  examining  into  the 
propriety  of  stationing  a  devoted  clergyman  to  preacli  to 
American  and  English  residents  and  sailors.     Such  a  man, 


TOUR  m  SOUTHERX  FBAyCR  179 

he  found,  could  enter  a  wide  field  of  usefulness,  if  lie  could 
master  the  Arabic  and  Turkish  languages,  among  the  Turks, 
Egyptians,  and  other  Mohammedan  seamen  and  merchants 
frequenting  the  port. 

Extending  his  tour  in  southern  France,  Mr.  Baird  rode 
nearly  three  hundred  miles  to  Toulouse.  "  Here  I  had  a 
real  feast  in  meeting  the  Court ois — three  excellent  brothers, 
bankers,  rich,  young,  and  the  most  simple-hearted  and.  de- 
voted men  that  I  have  ever  seen,  on  this  continent.  They, 
with  the  excellent  Mr.  Cabraud,  one  of  the  pastors  at  Tou- 
louse, are  at  the  head  of  a  society  for  the  publication  of 
religious  books  in  the  French  language.  The  society  has 
been  in  existence  three  years,  and  has  already  done  much 
good.  I  had  long  wanted  to  see  these  good  brethren,  and 
consult  with  them  as  to  future  operations."  The  results  of 
these  deliberations  were  communicated  to  the  American 
Tract  Society,  which  was  solicited  to  appropriate  800  or 
1,000  dollars  annually  to  the  work  undertaken  by  these 
efficient  laborers. 

After  spending  a  few  days  at  Toulouse,  and  one  at  Mon- 
tauban,  where  he  received  the  kindest  attentions  from  Pro- 
fessors ^fonod,  Jalaguier,  and  de  Felice,  of  the  National 
Protestant  Theological  School,  and  his  venerable  friend, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Marzials,  president  of  the  consistory,  Mr. 
Baird  returned  to  Paris,  by  way  of  Bordeaux,  Angouleme, 
Poitiers,  Tours  and  Orleans. 

This  journey  of  fourteen  hundred  miles,  as  well  as  the 
shorter  trip  that  had  preceded  it,  to  Belgium  and  Holland, 
was  accomplished  in  spite  of  great  physical  suffering.  For 
months  he  had  been  afflicted  with  an  affection  apparently 
rheumatic  in  its  character,  contracted  from  expo-ure  in  one 
of  his  journeys  during  his  recent  visit  to  the  United  States. 
This  disease  had  been  cfraduallv  2:ainin2:  strength,  and  had 
become  exceedingly  painful.  Although  he  took  the  greatest 
care  that  was  possible  under  the  circumstances,  it  could  not 


i8o  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

but  be  aggravated  by  his  long  rides  day  and  night,  in  tlie 
"  mallc-poste."  On  his  return  to  Paris  on  the  28th  of  De- 
cember, 1839,  he  was  decidedly  worse.  Unable  to  walk 
without  very  great  suffering,  he  was  compelled  to  keep  to 
his  room,  and  at  a  later  time,  to  his  bed.  What  had  at 
first  been  regarded  as  rheumatism,  proved  to  be  an  abscess, 
attended  by  such  inflammation  that  recourse  was  at  length 
had  to  the  application  of  the  moxa.  This  extremely  pain- 
ful operation  had  the  desired  effect ;  but  the  cure  was  slow, 
and  it  was  many  months  before  Mr.  Baird  regained,  to  any 
great  extent,  his  usual  health.  It  was  feared,  at  one  time, 
tliat  the  disease  as  yet  unchecked,  might  leave  him  a  cripple 
for  life  ;  but  this  result  was,  through  the  Divine  mercy, 
averted.  The  first  few  months  of  1840  were,  however, 
passed  in  great  suffering  and  weakness  ;  nor  did  he  find  it 
in  his  power  to  renew  the  public  service  on  the  Lord's  Day 
for  Americans  and  English. 

As  he  became  stronger  and  felt  himself  once  more  capaci- 
tated for  undertaking  his  '  wonted  labors,  a  visit  to  North- 
ern Europe,  upon  the  necessity  of  which  he  had  had  full 
opportunity  to  reflect  while  confined  to  liis  bed  during  his 
recent  illness,  presented  itself  to  his  mind  as  still  more  im- 
portant to  the  interests  of  Christ's  kingdom,  than  it  had 
appeared  previously.  "  I  have  no  great  desire  to  make  the 
tour  to  which  I  have  just  referred,"  he  wrote,  early  iii  the 
winter  to  the  executive  committee,  "  but  it  seems  to  me  that 
it  would  be  the  best  disposition  of  my  time  that  I  could 
make.  I  am  urged  to  it  by  the  expressed  wish  of  the  King 
of  Bavaria,  the  Crown  Prince  of  Prussia,  and  the  King  of 
Sweden  •  and  I  think  that  it  would  not  be  in  vain.  Its  ob- 
ject would  be  to  show  to  those  Governments  the  progress 
of  the  Temperance  cause  in  the  United  States,  especially  in 
connection  with  legislative  enactments — a  point  of  vast  im- 
portance, when  we  consider  that  Prussia,  if  induced  to  fol- 
low the  example  of  Massachusetts  or  Tennessee,  could  by  a 


INTERVIEW  WITH  LOUIS  PHILIPPE.  i8i 

law  of  five  lines  destroy  the  sale  and  consumption  of  ardent 
spirits  in  her  dominions.  And  what  an  example  to  Europe ! 
It  may  be  said  that  all  that  can  be  done,  can  just  as  well 
be  accomplished  by  printed  documents,  etc.  But  my  own 
experience  teaches  a  very  different  lesson." 

Mr.  Baird's  views  met  i\\Q  approval  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Foreign  Evangelical  Society,  and  it  was  de- 
cided that  he  should  visit  Northern  Europe  during  the 
summer  of  1840,  in  order  to  further  the  Temperance,  as, 
well  as  the  Tract  and  Bible  causes. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  in  the  former  part  of  this 
chapter  of  Mr.  Baird's  visit  to  Holland  for  the  purpose  of 
endeavoring  to  secure  greater  liberty  to  the  missionaries 
of  the  American  Board  in  the  Indian  Archipelago.  It  may 
not  be  inappropriate  here  to  state  that  a  few  months  later,  he 
was  entrusted  by  the  same  society  with  a  somewhat  similar 
mission  to  the  King  of  the  Frencii.  The  object  was  to  call 
the  attention  of  his  majesty,  Louis  Philippe,  to  the  infamous 
conduct  of  Captain  Laplace,  in  command  of  the  French 
man-of-war  "Artemise,"  towards  the  government  of  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  Accordingly,  he  sought  an  interview 
with  Louis  Philippe,  and  was  invited  to  the  Tuileries  in 
the  month  of  February,  1841.  He  was  kindly  received  by 
the  king  and  queen,  as  well  as  by  the  Princess  Adelaide, 
the  king's  sister  ;  and  enjoyed  a  brief  opportunity  of  stating 
the  case  historically,  while  placing  in  his  majesty's  hands 
the  letter  which  the  Prudential  Committee  of  the  American 
Board  had  addressed  to  Louis  Philippe.  He  particularly 
pointed  out  the  injurious  tendency  of  some  of  the  articles 
of  the  treaty  which  Captain  Laplace  had  imposed  upon  the 
feeble  and  imperfectly  civilized  inhabitants  of  those  islands, 
and  especially  of  those  by  which  the  admission  of  French 
brandy  is  permitted.  In  reply,  the  monarch  said  "  that  he 
regretted  that  the  chiefs  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  had  not 
at  once  allowed  the  Catholic  missionaries  to  remain,  and  to 


i82  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

do  what  tliey  could  to  promote  their  religion  without  viola- 
tion of  the  laws  ;  that  there  was  no  apparent  reason  why 
they  should  not  have  exercised  this  amount  of  toleration  ; 
that  he  believed  that  either  the  Catholic  or  the  Protestant 
religion  was  infinitely  better  than  none  ;  that  being  a  Catho- 
lic himself,  lie  could  do  nothing  to  oppose  Catholic  missions, 
while  he  sincerely  desired  that  both  Catholic  and  Protes- 
tant missions  might  everywhere  go  forward  together  in  the 
spirit  of  harmony  and  goodwill."  Mr.  Baird  responded  by 
saying  that  American  Protestants  had  no  desire  that  his 
majesty  should  do  anything  hostile  to  Roman  Catholic  mis- 
sions ;  and  that  their  sole  request  was  that  he  should  inquire 
into  the  conduct  of  Captain  Laplace,  as  exhibited  in  the 
proclamation  and  treaty  that  accompanied  the  letter,  in 
which  there  were  some  things  which  they  were  confident 
that  a  monarch  of  his  well-known  benevolent  and  just  dis- 
position could  not  permit  himself  to  approve.  The  inter- 
view closed  with  an  assurance  on  the  part  of  Louis  Philippe 
that  he  would  read  with  attention  the  documents  submitted 
to  him,  and  give  the  entire  subject  his  most  serious  consid- 
eration. 

Mr.  Baird  took  an  early  opportunity  of  conversing  with 
M.  Guizot,  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  with  whom  he 
was  well  acquainted,  on  the  same  topic.  The  chief  obstacle 
in  the  way  of  securing  the  redress  of  the  grievances,  he 
found  to  consist  in  the  reluctance  of  a  ministry  to  review 
the  acts  of  its  predecessors,  especially  when,  by  the  occur- 
rence of  several  ministerial  changes,  an  appointment,  as  in 
the  case  of  Captain  Laplace,  had  obtained  somewhat  of 
antiquity  in  its  favor.* 

*  The  intercessions  of  Mr.  Baird  with  the  governments  of  Holland  and 
France,  are  briefl\'  adverted  to  in  the  Memorial  Volume  of  the  First  Fifty 
Years  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Mission.^  (Bos- 
ton, 1861),  pp.  202-4. 


CHAPTEK  XVII. 

THIRD  TOUR  IN  NORTHERN  EUROPE.  COPENHAGEN.  DECREASE 
OF  RATIONALISM.  THORWALDSEN.  CHRISTIANIA.  EX- 
TRAORDINARY HONORS.  BERNADOTTE  AND  PRINCE  OSCAR. 
TRIP  TO  HUDDIKSVALL.  LETTER  OF  REV.  GEORGE  SCOTT. 
FINLAND.  SUCCESSFUL  EFFORTS  IN  RUSSIA.  THE  PUBLIC 
INSTITUTIONS.  TEMPERANCE  IN  GERMANY.  INTERVIEWS 
WITH  THE  KINGS  OF  DENMARK,  PRUSSIA,  SAXONY,  BAVA- 
RIA  AND   WIRTEMBERG. 

1840. 

ON  the  9th  of  July,  1840,  Mr.  Baird  left  Paris  for 
Havre,  intending  to  take  a  coasting  steamer  thence 
to  Hamburg.  Although  still  very  feeble,  and  unable  to 
stand  or  walk  for  any  great  length  of  time,  in  consequence  of 
the  serious  illness  from  which  he  had  not  yet  fully  recovered, 
many  hours  at  Rouen  and  on  the  steamboat  upon  the  Seine 
were  spent  in  completing  a  long  and  very  elaborate  article 
on  Religious  Liberty  in  France,  which  appeared  in  the 
AmerkaiLJ^i^^lkalRepository  for  October,  1840.  The  pas- 
sage to  Hamburg  was  short ;  but,  indisposed  as  he  was,  lie 
suffered  much.  During  the  three  or  four  days  which  he 
spent  in  visiting  men  of  influence,  and  in  endeavoring  to 
learn  the  best  means  by  which  the  Foreign  Evangelical 
Society  could  promote  the  progress  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
he  obtained  much  valuable  information  respecting  this  in- 
teresting free  city.  There,  also,  he  wrote  the  first  pages  of 
a  work,  the  composition  of  which  he  had  for  some  time 
been  contemplating,  and  which  was  publislied  during  the 

(183) 


184  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

ensuing  year,  with  the  title  :  "  A  Visit  to  Nortliern  Europe." 
It  was  his  original  intention  to  consecrate  the  first  volume 
to  the  German  Free  Cities  and  Scandinavia,  and  the  second 
to  Russia ;  but  the  material  so  accumulated  as  he  ad- 
vanced, that  he  was  compelled  to  devote  both  volumes  to 
the  subject  which  he  had  proposed  to  dismiss  at  the  close 
of  the  first.  He  then  determined  to  treat  of  Russia  in  a 
separate  work ;  but  this  design  was  never  executed. 

From  Han;'  iirg  he  went  to  Kiel  by  "  diligence,"  and 
thence  to  Copenhagen  by  steamer,  highly  enjoying  the  de- 
lightful sail  through  the  Danish  Arcliipelago.  AVhile  in  the 
capital,  Mr.  Baird  succeeded  in  making  arrangements  for 
the  publication  of  his  History  of  Temperance  Societies  in 
the  Danish  language,  and  in  interesting  some  influential 
persons  in  the  promotion  of  Temperance.  He  was  saddened 
by  the  discovery  that  German  rationalism  had  spread  to  an 
alarming  extent  among  the  clergy  ;  while  it  was  cheering 
to  learn  that  evangelical  religion  was  beginning  to  regain 
its  lost  ground — or,  to'  employ  the  words  of  a  distinguished 
and  faithful  pastor,  with  whom  Mr.  Baird  conversed  in 
Latin,  in  the  absence  of  any  other  medium  of  communica- 
tion, Fides  0  ilio  oxa  crescit ;  rationallsinus  decrescit.  On 
the  other  hand,  his  sympathies  were  warmly  enlisted  in  be- 
half of  the  poor,  persecuted  native  Baptists,  some  of  whom 
were  languishing  in  prison,  for  no  other  crime  than  that  of 
having,  in  violation  of  the  intolerant  laws  of  Denmark, 
conducted  meetings  independent  of  the  established  Lu- 
theran Church.  Against  these  victims  of  a  bigoted  State 
Church,  statutes  framed  to  repress  the  disorders  of  the  Ana- 
baptists of  the  times  of  the  fanatical  John  of  Leyden,  had 
been  invoked. 

A  few  hours  were  pleasantly  and  profitably  spent  in 
making  an  excursion  some  miles  in  the  interior  of  the 
island  of  Zealand  to  Roeskilde,  the  former  capital  of  Den- 
mark, many  of  whose  monarchs  lie  buried  in  the  curious 


THE  SCULPTOR  THORWALDSEK  185 

old  catlieclral.  A  visit  to  Albert  Thorwaldsen's  studio  not 
only  introduced  Mr.  Baird  to  many  of  liis  master  pieces, 
but  also  made  him  acquainted  with  the  venerable  artist 
himself,  still  engaged  in  his  old  age  in  modeling  designs 
for  the  bas-reliefs  of  the  Frue  Kirche.  "  A  plain,  modest 
man,  short  and  stout,  with  a  fine,  hale,  ruddy  face,  and 
blond  hair,"  who  received  him  in  the  kindest  manner,  was 
the  eminent  sculptor,  whose  works  he  had  coDie  to  see. 
The  Danes  were  not  wanting  in  appreciation  of  this  north- 
ern Phidias  ;  for  the  Government  was  about  to  send  him 
back  to  Italy  to  execute  some  more  works  for  the  adorn- 
ment of  Copenhagen,  in  a  national  frigate,  dispatched  ex- 
pressly for  the  purpose  of  honoring  him.  Thorwaldsen 
informed  Mr.  Baird  that  he  was  quite  ignorant  of  the  num- 
ber of  statues  he  had  designed  and  executed,  but  that  it 
certainly  exceeded  one  thousand. 

Taking  a  steamer,  Mr.  Baird  passed  up  through  the 
Sound  and  Cattegat ;  and,  after  touching  at  Fredericks- 
hald,  followed  the  long  and  narrow  Fiord  to  Christiania. 

After  a  few  days  spent  here  in  procuring  information 
respecting  the  moral  and  religious  condition  of  Norway, 
and  in  promoting  the  Temperance  cause,  he  returned  as  far 
as  Gottenburg,  whence  he  proceeded  to  Stockholm,  pursu- 
ing the  route  by  the  Gotta  river  and  canal,  which  he  had 
taken  upon  his  former  visit  to  Sweden. 

Mr.  Baird  had  not  been  long  in  Stockholm  before  he 
perceived  the  great  change  that  had  taken  place  in  Sweden 
since  he  had  reached  its  shores  four  years  previously,  a 
stranger  comparatively  to  its  people  and  institutions.  His 
work  on  Temperance  had  obtained,  through  the  king's  in- 
fluence, an  unprecedented  circulation.  Thousands  had  by 
reading  it  been  induced  to  renounce  all  use  of  intoxicating 
drinks.  His  name  had  become  a  household  word  with 
many  a  family,  that  rejoiced  in  the  rescue  of  some  of  its 
members  from  a  drunkard's  grave.     He  was  regarded  as 


i86  LIFE  OF  REV.  DIl.  BAIRD. 

another  "  Father  Mathew"  of  Sweden,  and  he  was  entreated 
by  the  friends  of  the  movement  to  prolong  liis  visit  for  a 
few  weeks,  and  by  the  interest  which  was  felt  in  his  person 
to  give  an  additional  impulse  to  the  movement.  "I  shall 
have  to  stay  here  longer  than  I  expected,"  he  writes  in  a 
familiar  letter  from  Stockholm.  "  The  Temperance  friends 
insist  upon  my  going  two  hundred  miles  northward  to 
Huddiksvall,  on  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia,  where  there  is  to  be 
a  great  meeting  on  the  26th  inst.  The  people  in  that  re- 
gion have  written  to  say  that  I  must  come,  even  if  it  be 
only  that  they  may  see  me !  You  have  no  idea  of  the  influ- 
ence exerted  in  Sweden  by  my  former  poor  efforts,  and 
especially  my  Temperance  History.  From  all  sources  I 
receive  this  testimony.  This  being  the  case,  and  as  my  fail- 
ure to  gratify  the  desires  of  the  friends  here  would  do  great 
injury,  I  must  stay  for  the  remainder  of  this  month  in 
Sweden,  which  will  be  longer  by  fifteen  or  twenty  days 
than  I  had  intended.  But  I  cannot  do  otherwise.  I  liave 
seen  Berzelias,  the  great  chemist,  Archbishop  Wingard,  the 
prime  minister  of  the  king,  and  many  other  persons  of  dis- 
tinction. The  Diet  or  Parliament  is  in  session  now,  and 
this  makes  me  known  to  many  prominent  men.  Yesterday 
I  received  an  invitation  from  the  king  to  come  to  the 
palace,  and  last  night  I  had  a  long  interview  of  an  hoar 
with  his  majesty  alone.  As  soon  as  I  entered,  he  took  me 
by  the  hand,  and  led  me  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  room, 
and  made  me  sit  down  by  his  side  on  a  sofa,  where  he  talked 
in  the  most  familiar  manner  with  me,  and  inquiring  liow 
long  I  was  going  to  stay,  he  said  he  would  see  me  again." 

A  few  days  later,  he  writes  :  "  I  had  very  pleasant  inter- 
view with  the  Crown  Prince,  on  Wednesday  morning  last. 
He  assured  me  that  he  would  do  everytliing  in  his  power 
to  advance  the  cause  of  Temperance  in  tlie  army,  of  which 
he  is  commander-in-chief.  He  also  sent  me  a  book  written 
by  himself  and  recently  published,  on  Prison-discipline,  etc., 


ATTENTIONS  RECEIVED  IX  SWEDEN.  igj 

as  a  souvenir, ^^  He  was  invited  to  dine  with  the  Count 
Hartmansdorff,  the  prime  minister  of  the  king,  in  company 
with  many  eminent  men,  among  whom  were  two  governors, 
an  admiral,  and  others.  "  The  dinner  was  intended  to 
honor  me.  I  felt  not  a  little  embarrassed  at  the  many 
compliments  which  I  received  as  a  henef actor  to  Sweden. 
This  title  I  receive  from  all  the  persons  whom  I  meet." 
Another  day  was  taken  up  with  a  succession  of  engagements  : 
a  meeting  at  the  exchange  of  nearly  two  thousand  persons 
whom  he  addressed  through  an  interpreter  :  a  dinner  given 
by  some  thirty  gentlemen  to  testify  their  appreciation  of 
his  services  ;  and  a  conference  with  the  directors  of  the 
National  Temperance  Society.  '•  It  has  embarrassed  me 
not  a  little,''  he  repeats,  "  to  answer  the  direct  addresses 
which  have  been  made  to  me,  thanking  me  for  what  I  have 
done  for  Sweden.  Alas  !  it  is  but  little  that  I  have  done. 
To  God  be  all  the  praise  for  any  good,  effected  through  my 
poor  instrumentality." 

Of  the  journey  to  Huddiksvall,  to  which  he  was  urged 
bv  his  friends  at  Stockholm,  Mr.  Baird  has  left  so  interestinsr 
an  account,  in  a  report  to  the  executive  committee  of  the 
Foreign  Evangelical  Society,  that  the  most  essential  portions 
have  been  inserted  in  an  appendix  to  this  volume.  A  few 
additional  incidents  may.  however,  be  given,  derived  in 
part  from  his  familiar  correspondence.  "  We  held  as  many 
as  eight  or  ten  public  meetings,  at  most  of  which  I  delivered 
a  speech  in  English.  You  can  have  no  conception  of  the 
numbers  of  people  who  flocked  to  those  meetings.  Xor  can 
I  tell  you  how  much  embarrassed  I  have  been  at  the  many, 
many  addresses  made  to  me  by  societies,  by  distinguished 
individuals,  and  even  by  the  chief  civil  authorities  in  one 
place,  for  the  good  which  I  had  done  by  my  former  visit,  as 
well  as  for  the  present  one.  I  am  sure  you  would  have 
rejoiced,  had  you  been  with  me,  to  see  such  decided  proofs 
that  God  had  blessed  my  humble  efforts.     Oh,  how  it  ought 


i88  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

to  fill  our  hearts  with  thankfulness  to  find  our  poor  seryices 
owned  in  any  degree  by  Him  ;  and  how  it  ought  to  support 
us  under  trials  !  Hundreds  of  peasants  flocked  around  me, 
wherever  I  went,  to  see  the  man  who  had  written  a  book 
which  had  done  so  much  for  them  ;  and,  if  possible,  to  shake 
him  by  the  hand,  and  say  Tack  !  Tack  !  Thanks,  Thanks  ! 
Some  days  we  held  as  many  as  four  meetings,  and  yet  tra- 
veled fifty  miles.  At  times  I  was  almost  worn  out.  But. 
thanks  be  to  God,  I  have  returned  to  this  place  in  better 
health  than  when  I  left  it.  You  will  be  amused  when  I 
assure  you  that  no  refusal  would  the  people  take  to  the  pro- 
position to  have  my  likeness  taken  and  engraved.  I  shall 
trv  hard  to  ofet  clear  of  it  on  the  score  of  the  want  of  time. 
But  I  fear  that  I  shall  not  be  successful."  Mr.  Baird  was 
not  successful.  A  portrait,  unfortunately  a  very  poor  one, 
was  made,  and  found  its  way  into  many  a  cottage  in  distant 
parts  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  and  even  in  Prussia,  where 
it  was  prized  as  the  representation  of  the  features  of  one 
whose  single-hearted  piety  and  philanthropy  had  proved  a 
signal  blessing  to  natives  of  lands  distant  from  that  in 
which  he  first  saw  the  light.  One  of  the  most  interesting 
of  these  meetings  was  held  at  Xorrala.  On  one  occasion 
Mr.  Baird  and  the  gentlemen  that  accompanied  him  ad- 
dressed the  eager  crowd  of  listeners  from  the  top  of  the 
very  rock  upon  which,  in  1521,  Gustavus  Wasa  had  stood, 
when  he  exhorted  the  peasants  to  rise  against  the  op- 
pression of  Christian  the  Second  and  the  Danes.  As  the 
party  slowly  drove  away,  a  large  company  of  men  and 
women  gathered  around  the  carriage,  and  commenced 
singing  a  hymn.  Thus  did  they  continue  to  accompany  the 
travelers,  until  the  descent  of  a  considerable  hill  was 
reached.  There  the  carriage  paused  until  the  hymn  was 
ended.  Then,  amid  mingled  cries  of  "  Tacks"  (thanks),  and 
"  Farval"  (farewell),  Mr.  Baird  parted,  as  he  supposed,  for 
the  last  time,  from  these  kind  and  pious  peasants.     In  some 


GRATITUDE  OF  THE  PEOPLE.  189 

places  the  people  waited  four  hours  for  the  travelers  who 
had  been  unavoidably  detained.  "  Curiosity  to  see  an 
American  doubtless,  had  some  influence  in  convening  them. 
And  I  must  say  that  it  was  not  at  all  calculated  to  increase 
my  vanity,  to  be  told,  as  I  was  by  an  accomplished  lady, 
possessed  of  far  more  than  ordinary  information,  that  she 
had  come  many  miles,  with  the  expectation  of  seeing  a  hlaclc 
man  !" 

The  glimpse  which  this  trip  gave  him  into  the  life  of  the 
peasantry  of  Sweden,  warmly  excited  his  sympathies  for 
this  class.  He  was  enabled  to  see  and  hear  much  respect- 
ing the  dreadful  curse  of  intemperance,  with  its  harvest  of 
consequent  crime.  And  the  wonderfully  backward  state  of 
legislation  equally  excited  his  surprise  ;  for  the  peasant 
of  Sweden  was  actually  compelled,  like  the  serfs  and  slaves 
of  other  countries,  to  select  2i  protector  from  among  the  up- 
per classes,  who  became  in  a  measure  responsible  for  his 
client's  good  behaviour.  A  statute  that  condemned  the 
agricultural  class,  constituting  the  great  mass  of  the  popu- 
lation, to  such  an  indignity,  he  regarded  as  a  disgrace  to 
an  enlightened  and  polished,  not  to  say  to  a  Christian 
nation. 

Before  following  Mr.  Baird  in  his  journey  to  Finland 
and  St.  Petersburg,  it  will  not  be  amiss  to  insert  a  some- 
what extended  extract  from  a  letter  of  the  Rev.  George 
Scott,  the  devoted  and  eminently  successful  clergyman  of 
the  English  Wesleyan  Church  at  Stockholm,  addressed  to 
the  Rev.  William  A.  Hallock,  D.  D.  of  New  York,  in  which 
the  fruits  of  the  labors  erf  the  subject  of  these  memoirs  in 
Sweden  are  described  by  one  fully  qualified  to  appreciate 
them.  It  is  dated  September  7,  1840,  a  few  days  after 
Mr.  Baird's  departure  : 

"  When,  about  four  years  ago,  Mr.  Baird  made  his  first 
visit  to  Sweden,  many  of  our  benevolent  efforts  were  in  a 
languishing  state.     The  Temperance  Societies    formed  in 


190  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

1330  and  31  were  all  but  dissolved,  and  the  few  whicli  still 
remained  at  tlieir  post  much  discouraged  and  ready  to  faint 
in  their  minds.     I  cannot  but  look  upon  our  friend's  arrival 
here  at  that  juncture,  as  most  providential  ;  as  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  good  old  saying  '  Man's  extremity  is  God's  op- 
portunity.'    During  his  short  residence  here,  he  had  the 
opportunity  of  conversing  not  only  with  his  majesty  the 
king,  the  prince  and  princess  royal,  but  also  with  several 
men  of  rank  and  influence,  who  listened  with  attention  to 
life  calm  and  clear  statements.     The  gracious  act  of  the  king, 
in  ordering  a  Swedfeh  translation  of  •  Baird's  History  of 
Temperance  Societies'  to  be  made,  and  presenting,  at  his 
own  expense,  a  copy  of  the  book  to  every  yor'tsli  in  this 
kingdom,  was  a  manifest  proof  that  the  Lord  knoweth  the 
hearts  of  kings  ;  for  it  would  be  quite  impossible  to  give 
you  any  adequate  idea  of  the  effect  produced  by  the  circu- 
lation throughout  the  land  of  this  book.     As  one  of  the 
Secretaries  of  the  Swedish  Temperance  Society,  I  have  the 
means  of  knowing,  that  in  almost  every  instance  where 
zealous  temperance  efforts  have  been   commenced  in  the 
country,  '  Baird's  book'  has  been  cited  as  the  moving  instru- 
ment.    '  Baird's  book'  or  '  the  King's  book'  are  the  names 
by  which  the  history  is  most  generally  known.     Of  all  the 
more  distinguished  Temperance  advocates  I  am  acquainted 
with,  there  is  not  one  who  does  not  acknowledge,  tliat  it 
was  the  reading  of  '  Baird's  book'  which  decided  to  active 
exertion  in  this  good  cause.     'The  Swedish  Temperance 
Society,'  a  new  and  most  efficient  institution,  numbering  in 
its  Committee  a  Berzelius,  a  Retzius,  Hartmansdorff,  etc., 
owes  its  origin  to  the  same  source  ;  and  thousands  of  families 
rescued  from  the  miseries  incident  to  the  use  of  ardent 
spirits,  bless  the  day  when  *  tlie  King's  book'  came  to  their 
neighborhood.     Seldom,  if  ever,  has  a  single  book,  in  so 
short  a  time,  produced  such  results  in  a  whole  country. 
"  You  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  the  intimation 


A  PEASANTS'  ADDRESS.  igi 

of  Mr.  Baird's    intended  visit  this  year  was  everywhere 
received  with  enthusiasm.     By  the  goodness  of  God,  he  has 
been  here  for  about  two  weeks,  and  it  would  require  more 
time  than  I  can  at  present  command,  to  give  you  the  interest- 
ing particulars.     All  ranks  seemed  equally  anxious  to  show 
respect  to  a  servant  of  God  who,  by  the  Divine  blessing, 
had  been  enabled  to  accomplish  so  much  for  the  good  of 
this  land.     His  reception  by  the  king  was,  I  understand, 
most  gratifying  ;  the  cordiality  of  his  royal  highness  the 
crown  prince,  I  witnessed,  and,  indeed,  wherever  he  went,  he 
was  welcomed  as  a  general  benefactor.     I  very  much  ques- 
tion, whether  any  private  gentleman  living  possesses  a  tithe 
of  the  influence  here,  whicli  Mr.  Baird  has  acquired.     I  ac- 
companied him  on  a  journey  northwards,  and  attended  many 
large  meetings  of  the  friends  of  religion  and  temperance  ; 
and  wherever  we  went,  we  found  the  name  of  Baird  known 
and  loved,  especially  by  the  truly  pious.     Thanksgivings 
were  addressed  to  him  on  many  occasions,  and  by  all  classes, 
but  what  seems  most  deeply  to  affect  him  was  the  circum- 
stance of  two  peasants,  one  at  Huddiksvall,  the  other  at 
Soderala,  coming  forward  to  express  the  gratitude  of  their 
own  class,  for  the  benefits  resulting  especially  to  them  from 
the  distribution  of '  Baird's  book.'     The  latter  of  these  ex- 
pressed himself  nearly  as  follows  :  '  This  is  the  Lord's  doing, 
and  it  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes  ;  we  render  liearty  thanks 
to  Him  who  commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness, 
for  bringing  this  simple  remedy  out  of  obscurity  ;  we  thank 
Him  for  raising  up  so  many  to  exert  themselves  for  the 
people's  weal  ;  we  thank  Him  for  inclining  your  heart  and 
directing  your  way  hither,  for  making  you  an  honored  in- 
strument of  extensive  good.    You  will  not  understand  our 
mode  of  thanking  you.    We  acknowledge,  we* feel  our  great 
obligation  to  you  ;  but  just  for  this  cause  do  we  praise  Him, 
who  made  you  to  us  what  you  have  been.     This  day  can 
never  be  forgotten  by  us  :  we  see,  we  hear,  we  speak  to 


1^2  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

tlio  servant  of  God  whose  book  lias  long  proved  a  blessing 
to  our  land  ;  we  renew  in  the  presence  of  God  this  day,  our 
solemn  engagement  to  be  true  to  the  excellent  counsel  you 
have  given  us,  and  thus  prove  our  gratitude  to  you.  May 
His  rich  grace  and  blessing  rest  upon  you,  guide  and  guard 
you  in  all  your  wanderings,  and  at  length  grant  you  an 
abundant  entrance  into  His  glorious  kingdom.' 

"  On  returning  to  Stockholm,  Mr.  Baird  had  an  opportu- 
nity of  addressing  the  House  of  Farmers  now  assembled  at 
the  Diet ;  all  were  present  and  listened  with  deep  attention, 
and  at  the  close  the  speaker  of  the  House  addressed  Mr. 
Baird  in  the  most  interesting  manner,  sending  a  warm  salu- 
tation to  the  agriculturists  of  America,  and  a  grateful  ex- 
pression of  thanks  to  such  of  them  as  had  aided  Mr.  Baird, 

in  his  several  visits  to  Sweden I  know  nothing  at 

present,  tliat  Mr.  Baird  could  have  done,  more  beneficial 
to  this  country,  than  to  avail  himself  of  the  interest  awak- 
ened by  his  Temperance  book,  for  the  furtherance  of  the 
Temperance  cause  ;  for  intemperance  is  the  grand  stum- 
bling-block in  the  way  of  good  here.  Let  that  stone  be  re- 
moved out  of  the  way,  and  glorious  things  will  follow. 
But  our  friend  did  not  confine  himself  to  that  object ;  he 
preached  repeatedly  in  our  chapel  here  (latterly,  for  the 
first  time,  in  the  new  building),  met  for  a  lengthened  period 
several  Christians  in  Stockholm,  and  consulted  with  them 
fully  as  to  what  could  be  done  in  various  departments  of 
Christian  benevolence,  besides  delivering,  in  different  parts 
of  the  country,  lectures  on  the  state  of  religion  in  the 
United  States,  with  special  reference  to  the  efforts  made 
for  the  spread  of  vital  godliness.  The  good  seed  thus  sown 
cannot  be  unfruitful;  but  the  conviction  on  many  minds  is, 
that  if  God  spare  him,  Mr.  Baird  ought  to  make  frequent 
visits  and  longer  stays  in  this  land.  Sweden  is  now  in  a  most 
interesting  state,  waking  up  from  the  slumber  occasioned 
by  evil  habits,  and  putting  forth  the  inquiry,  '  Lord,  what 


VSEFULNESS  IX  S  WED  EX.  1 9  3 

wouldst  tlioii  have  me  to  do?'  Xow  is  the  time  to  lend  a 
helping  hand  ;  a  prouipt,  a  vigorous  helping  hand.  I  very 
much  question  whether  any  country  in  Europe  is  at  this 
moment  so  much  alive  to  the  importance  of  shaking  off  bad 
customs,  and  laboring  to  promote  tliat  wliich  is  good,  as 
Sweden  now  is.  But  much  information,  advice,  encourage- 
ment, support  are  wanted,  and,  by  a  remarkable  providence. 
Temperance  has  proved  the  wedge  which  has  opened  Mr. 
Baird's  way  to  the  unlimited  confidence,  the  unfeigned 
esteem  of  thin  ichole  people ;  and  he  must  enter  the  opening 
fully,  at  any  expense  of  personal  convenience  or  American 
benevolence.  Think,  my  dear  sir,  seriously  on  this  matter, 
and  while  tlie  steam  is  up  help  us  to  guide  tlie  machinery 
to  glorious  results.  Aid  us  in  prevailing  on  Mr.  Baird  not 
to  leave  Europe  for  some  years  yet,  and  to  spend  a  great 
part  of  those  years  in  Scandinavia.  Gladly  would  I  let 
Mr.  Baird,  on  account  of  his  delicate  health,  and  for  his 
family's  sake,  escape  ;  but  it  w,  not  at  all  likely  that  any 
other  man  ever  can  attain  the  extent  of 'favorable  influence 
possessed  by  him.  With  God  all  things  are  possible,  and 
He  has  shown  Himself  wonderful  in  counsel  by  giving  this 
servant  of  His,  by  such  simple  means,  such  an  extent  of  influ- 
ence. Farewell,  the  Lord  guide  and  bless  you  in  this  matter." 
Leaving  Stockholm,  after  a  much  longer  stay  than  he  had 
originally  intended  to  make^  Mr.  Baird  continued  his  jour- 
ney by  steamer  to  St.  Petersburg,  touching  on  the  way  at 
Abo,  in  Finland,  and  then  at  Helsingfors,  the  modern  capi- 
tal. At  the  latter  place,  wliere  the  steamer  lay  all  night 
under  the  guns  of  the  ''  Gibraltar  of  the  North,"  the  Gover- 
nor very  politely  sent  his  Secretary  to  show  him  the  prison 
— a  truly  horrible  place  wliere  crime  only  festers  and  breeds, 
in  consequence  of  the  ill-advised  system  which  shuts  up  six 
or  eight  persons  in  a  single  cell,  with  nothing  to  do  but  to 
corrupt  each  other,  and  to  render  themselves  more  desper- 
ate and  hardened  than  before. 
13 


194 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DU.  BAIRD. 


It  was  Mr.  Baird's  earnest  desire  to  be  instrumental  in 
setting  tlie  Temperance  reformation  in  Russia  into  successful 
operation  ;  hoping  that  the  time  might  not  be  far  distant 
when  a  spectacle  similar  to  that  witnessed  in  Sweden  might 
greet  the  eyes  of  the  Christian  philanthropist.  To  efforts 
in  this  direction  he  was  prompted  not  a  little  by  the  convic- 
tion that  such  a  reform  would  necessarily  be  the  entering 
wedge  for  the  introduction  of  further  improvement,  both  in 
religion  and  in  morals.  But  there  were  serious  impedi- 
ments :  "  The  Government  of  this  country  has  hitherto  been 
opposed  to  anything  like  energetic  measures  to  promote  the 
Temperance  cause ;  chiefly  through  the  influence  of  the 
Minister  of  Finance,  who  feared  for  the  revenue,  one  fifth 
part  of  which  is  derived  from  the  sale  of  brandy,  or  ivhishj 
as  we  call  it.  The  revenue  from  that  source  alone  exceeds 
125,000,000  rubles  in  paper,  or  $25,000,000  of  our  money! 
And  that  minister  has  by  circular  forbidden  the  formation 
of  Temperance  Societies  outright.  This  was  about  a  year 
ago.  Before  the  issuing  of  that  circular,  several  societies 
had  sprung  up  in  the  Baltic  Provinces  ;  but  it  put  an  end 
to  their  existence,  and  to  all  efforts  through  organized  forms 
of  action." 

Upon  his  arrival  Mr.  Baird  saw  the  best  friends  of  reli- 
gion in  the  capital  and  at  Moscow,  and  did  all  that  seemed 
practicable  for  the  different  objects  which  he  had  come  to 
promote.  It  appeared  to  be  important  that  he  should  meet 
the  Emperor  Nicholas,  but  several  attempts  made  to  accom- 
plish this  proved  abortive.  The  monarch  had  just  returned 
from  Germany  ;  and  had  determined  to  see  no  foreigners 
for  some  weeks,  until  he  had  dispatched  the  weighty  affairs 
that  had  accumulated  during  his  protracted  absence.  Un- 
der these  circumstances  Mr.  Baird,  after  the  lapse  of  more 
than  three  weeks  of  ineffectual  waiting,  had  concluded  to 
abandon  the  attempt  to  obtain  an  interview.  But  on  call- 
ing upon  the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  the  afternoon  before 


DUES  WITH  THE  EMPEROR. 


19s 


he  was  to  take  his  departure,  this  gentleman  insisted  upon 
his  staying  at  least  a  fortnight  longer,  promising  to  do  every- 
thing in  his  power  to  procure  him  an  audience  of  his  majesty. 
He  kept  his  word,  and  the  result  was  that  Mr.  Baird  was 
invited  to  go  to  Tsarkoe-Selo — the  seat  of  a  summer  palace, 
about  sixteen  miles  directly  south  from  St.  Petersburg : 
"  The  emperor  received  me  in  the  kindest  manner,  and  ac- 
ceded at  once  to  all  I  asked.  The  Temperance  History — 
continued  down  to  the  present  time — is  to  be  published  in 
Russ  and  Finnish.  Everything  has  now  been  settled  in  re- 
lation to  this  point.  Never  was  I  more  convinced  of  the  im- 
portance of  going  directly  to  the  source  of  poicer  than  in  this 
case.  It  will  not  be  possible  to  form  temperance  societies 
here  for  years  ;  but  much  may  be  done  at  once  by  diffusing 
information."  "  God  be  praised  for  it,"  Mr.  Baird  writes 
home.  "  How  much  anxiety  and  delay  this  has  cost  me. 
But  now  I  see  that  God  has  overruled  all,  and,  though  it 
has  been  so  painful  to  me  to  be  so  long  parted  from  you,  yel 
when  I  see  what  has  been  accomplished  by  this  prolonged 
stay  in  Russia,  and  consider  how  God  has  sustained  my 
health  and  made  my  way  plain,  I  dare  not  murmur." 

Nor  were  the  marks  of  kindness  and  respect  on  the  part 
of  the  Emperor  Nicholas  confined  to  the  ready  consent  that 
he  gave  to  the  requests  which  Mr.  Baird  made.  After  the 
audience,  he  was  immediately  invited  to  dine  with  the  im- 
perial family  :  "  This  took  place  at  three  o'clock.  During 
the  interval  I  was  carried  to  the  old  Palace,  and  a  room 
assigned  to  me,  which  I  was  requested  to  occupy  as  long  as 
I  chose.  At  the  appointed  hour  an  imperial  carriage  con- 
veyed me  to  the  Palace  which  the  emperor  occupies,  and 
where  the  dinner  took  place.  There  I  met  about  one  hun- 
dred distinguished  men  and  women,  and  was  presented  to 
many  of  them.  The  dinner  was  most  sumptuous.  My  plain 
and  simple  appearance,  as  well  as  the  object  of  my  visit  to 
this  empire,  made  me  quite  an  object  of  curiosity.     The  at- 


196  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

tention  wliicli  I  received  was  very  kind.  God  grant  that 
much  good  may  result  from  all  this !" 

Tlie  main  purpose  of  his  coming  to  Russia  was  fulfilled, 
and  he  might  at  once  have  turned  his  face  liomewards.  But 
unusual  facilities  were  offered  him  for  visiting  the  institu- 
tions of  the  capital  which  are  generally  inaccessible  to 
strangers,  and  he  could  not  neglect  the  rare  opportunity. 
Provided  with  the  express  orders  of  the  emperor,  the  em- 
press and  the  Grand  Duke  Michael,  he  went  through  a  num- 
ber of  establishments  that  were  under  their  immediate  super- 
vision. For  instance,  in  the  several  military  academies,  the 
whole  routine  of  training  to  which  the  cadets  are  subjected, 
even  to  their  dressing  and  undressing,  to  the  tap  of  the 
drum,  was  exhibited  for  his  special  benefit  by  the  persons 
in  command,  wl^o  would  scarcely  credit  his  statement  that 
he  was  no  foreign  ofiicer  of  rank,  but  a  simple  minister  of 
the  Gospel.  His  visit  to  the  great  female  seminaries  ena- 
bled him  to  hear  some  of  the  sweetest  music  to  wliich  he 
had  ever  listened,  and  to  compare  the  traits  of  personal 
appearance  of  girls  from  every  province  of  this  widely- 
extended  empire. 

At  length,  having  accomplished  all  tliat  he  could  for  the 
Bible,  Tract  and  Temperance  movements,  Mr.  Baird  left 
St.  Petersburg.  On  his  return  to  Copenhagen  he  succeeded, 
after  tedious  delays,  in  obtaining  an  interview  with  the 
new  King  and  Queen  of  Denmark,  by  whom  he  was  received 
very  kindly  at  a  private  and  special  audience.  They  seemed 
to  be  not  a  little  interested  in  the  object  of  his  visit.  At 
Hamburg  a  temperance  society  had  existed  for  three  years 
among  the  lower  classes,  but  nothing  had  yet  been  attempted 
among  the  higher.  Mr.  Baird  had  a  meeting  one  evening 
of  nearly  thirty  distinguished  and  influential  gentlemen, 
including  several  of  the  senators  and  other  liigh  officers  of 
the  Government.  He  addressed  tlicm  a  long  time  on  the 
subject,  and  at  the  close  of  his  remarks  all,  with  a  solitary 


HAMBURG.  197 

exception,  signed  the  temperance  pledji^e,  and  agreed  to  form 
a  society  :  "  Every  thing  now  bids  fair  to  go  on  well.  En- 
ergetic men  of  all  shades  of  political  and  religious  opinion 
have  hold  of  the  work.  The  importance  of  the  good  move- 
ment in  this  city  you  can  readily  appreciate  when  you  look 
on  the  map  of  Europe  and  reflect  that  Hamburg  is  the  great 
gate  of  Germany,  at  least  of  the  northern  part.  But  now," 
he  adds,  "  I  must  leave  and  proceed  as  soon  as  I  can  to 
Paris.  x4.nd  yet  it  is  most  difficult  to  do  so.  The  way  is  so 
much  opened  for  my  doing  great  good  in  the  Temperance 
cause  throughout  Germany,  that  I  shall  be  pressed  to  stop 
too  long  in  every  important  city.  It  is  wonderful  to  see 
how  God  is  blessing  our  humble  efforts.  I  have  been  de- 
layed already  a  whole  month  beyond  the  time  which  I  had 
appointed  fo'r  my  return.  And  yet  what  could  I  do  ?  God 
has  evidently  shut  me  up  to  this  delay  by  His  providences, 
and  crowned  mv  efforts  with  a  arreat  blessing;.  To  His 
name  be  the  praise !  Let  us  not  repine  at  His  providence 
and  His  blessing." 

Leaving  Hamburg,  Mr.  Baird  proceeded  by  Bremen, 
Hanover,  Gottiugeii  and  Halle,  at  each  of  which  he  stopped 
about  a  day,  to  Berlin.  Having  called  at  the  royal  palace, 
on  the  day  of  his  arrival  and  informed  the  king,*  through  an 
aide-de-camp,  of  his  having  reached  the  city,  he  received  on 


*  This  was  Frederick  William  IV.,  whom  he  had  seen  when  Crown  Prince 
in  1836  and  1837,  and  who  had  ascended  the  throne  only  a  few  months  pre- 
vious to  the  present  visit.  Mr.  Baird  regarded  him,  as  we  have  seen,  as 
a  man  of  great  excellence  of  heart,  though  there  was  very  much  in  his  sub- 
sequent course  which  he  could  not  but  reprobate  and  deplore.  On  the  pres- 
ent occasion  he  remarks:  'He  does  not  seem  to  take  the  same  interest  in 
the  Temperance  cause  that  his  father  did  ;  but  it  is  probably  becau.-p  he 
has  not  had  leisure  since  his  accession  to  the  throne,  to  turn  his  attention 
much  to  this  subject.  He  does,  however,  far  more,  and  in  a  far  more  judi- 
cious way,  for  the  cause  of  religion  in  general  than  ever  his  excellent  father 
did.  His  goverraent  embraces  already  a  greater  number  of  truly  good  men 
than  any  other  in  the  world." 


198 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


the  following  morning  an  invitation  from  his  majesty  to, 
dine  with  him  tliat  afternoon  at  the  Palace  of  Charlotten- 
burg.     He  mentions  that  he  was  most  kindly  received  both 
by  the  king  and  the  queen,  and  expresses  the  liope  that 
good  will  result.     Before  quitting  the  Prussian  capital,  a 
very  large  public  meeting  was  held,  at  which  he  explained 
fully  the  principles  and  progress  of  the  temperance  socie- 
ties in  America  and  elsewhere.     At  Dresden  he  saw  the 
King  of  Saxony  and  his  brother,  the  Prince  John,  a  second 
time.     Passing  through  Chemnitz,  Nuremberg  and  Augs- 
burg, he  came  to  Munich,  where  he  had  an  interview  with 
the  King  of  Bavaria,  the  eccentric  Louis.     The  object  of 
these  interviews  was  similar  to  that  for  which  he  had  seen 
the  monarchs  of  Denmark,  Sweden,  Russia  and  Prussia  ; 
and  he  had  reason  to  think  that  the  conversations  he  had 
with  these  kings,  as  well  as  with  the  King  of  Wirtemberg, 
whom  he  saw  at  Stuttgard,  would  not  be  without  good 
fruit.     His  interview  with  Louis  of  Bavaria,  as  he  after- 
wards described  it,  must  have  been  sufficiently  amusing,  in 
consequence  of  the  rambling  speeches  and  blundei-s  of  his 
majesty,  who,  if  he  prided  himself  upon  his  acquaintance 
with  the  fine  arts,  was  no  very  profound  general  scholar, 
and  especially  at  a  loss  in  American  geography.    The  King 
of  Wirtemberg,  a  Protestant,  was  of  quite  a  different  char- 
acter ;    and,  while  making  less  pretensions,   evinced   the 
greatest  interest  in  obtaining  information  respecting  the 
state  of  religion,  education,  and  every  other  good  work,  in 
the  United  States.  With  all  these  monarchs,  in  whose  domin- 
ions intemperance  had  made  little  progress,  compared  with 
its  ravages  in  the  more  northerly  countries  he  had  visited, 
his  aim  was  not  so  much  to  suggest  the  institution  of  tem- 
perance societies,  as  to  "  bring  before  tlic  minds  of  the  rulers 
the  question  of  regulating  the  sale  of  ardent  spirits  in  such 
a  way  as  to  diminish  their  use.''     With  prominent  private 


AUDIENCES  AT  GERMAN  COURTS.  igg 

individuals  he  also  conversed  on  the  same  subject — with 
Professors  Schelling,  Thiersch,  Hermann,  etc. 

Metz  was  the  last  stage  in  this  long  journey  ;  and  Mr. 
Baird  reached  his  home  at  Paris  on  the  12th  of  December, 
after  an  absence  of  a  little  more  than  five  months.  It  was 
a  tour,  he  writes  to  the  executive  committee,  which  al- 
tliough  very  fatiguing  in  his  weak  and  suffering  state  of 
body,  was  made  with  greater  satisfaction  than  any  other 
which  he  had  ever  made,  because  he  felt  assured  at  every 
step  that  he  was  acting  in  accordance  with  the  Divine  will. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

VISIT  TO  THE  UXITED  STATES.  PUBLIC ATIOX  OF  ME.  BAIRD's 
''  VISIT  TO  ::;jRTHERX  EUROPE."  REMOVES  HIS  RESIDENCE 
FROM  PARIS  TO  GENEVA.  TVRITES  A  WORK  ON  RELIGION  IN 
AMERICA.  AGAIN  VISITS  THE  UNITED  STATES.  RETURNS 
TO  AMERICA. 

1841-1843. 

IX  the  spring  of  the  year  1841,  Mr.  Baird  returned  to 
the  United  States,  in  time  to  be  present  at  the  anni- 
versary meeting  of  the  Foreign  Evangelical  Society  in  May. 
For  several  months  he  labored  in  various  parts  of  the 
United  States,  endeavoring  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  the 
organization  with  which  he  was  connected,  by  interesting 
the  churches  in  the  work  of  European  evangelization. 
Great  success  attended  his  exertions.  The  facts  which  he 
■was  able  to  lav  before  the  members  of  individual  conerei^a- 
tions,  as  well  as  of  various  ecclesiastical  bodies,  exhibited 
in  a  striking  manner  the  progress  that  had  attended  the 
labors  of  devoted  men  to  further  the  kingdom  of  Christ  in 
lands  nominally  Christian,  but  upon  which  the  shadow  of 
great  spiritual  ignorance  had  fallen.  Those  among  his 
liearers  who  had  forgotten  that  the  heathen  world  did  not 
constitute  the  entire  field  of  missions,  were  awakened  to  a 
recognition  of  the  fact  that  the  Roman  Catholics  of  Europe 
and  America  possessed  an  equal  claim  upon  their  prayers 
and  labors.  Others  learned,  for  the  first  time,  to  appreciate 
the  vast  influence  for  good  which  France,  Italy.  Spain  and 

(200) 


"  VISIT  TO  NORTHERN  EUROPE^  201 

Catholic  Germany  would  exert,  if  the  pure  doctrines  of  the 
Gospel  were  once  more  to  assert  their  sway  over  their  mil- 
lions of  inhabitants.  And  all  were  able  to  learn  from  the 
experience  of  the  home-missionary  societies  of  France  and 
Switzerland,  during  the  past  decade  or  two,  that  the  con- 
version of  Roman  Catholics  was  no  impossibility.  For  not 
only  had  individuals,  from  the  highest  and  the  lowest 
classes  in  social  rank,  been  led  to  embrace  the  Truth  ;  but, 
in  some  cases,  entire  communities  had  been  awakened  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  brought,  as  a  body,  to  recognize  the 
corruptions  of  the  Papal  Church,  if  not  to  embrace  the 
scriptural  offer  of  salvation. 

While  in  the  United  States,  Mr.  Baird  gave  to  the  public, 
in  two  volumes,  the  results  of  the  acquaintance  with  the 
Scandinavian  countries,  which  he  had  acquired  during  his 
repeated  journeys  in  that  part  of  Europe.  This  work  bore 
the  title  :  "Visit  to  Northern  Europe  ;  or.  Sketches  descrip- 
tive, historical,  political  and  moral,  of  Denmark,  Norway, 
Sweden  and  Finland,  and  the  Free  Cities  of  Hamburg  and 
Liibeck.  By  Robert  Baird."  (John  S.  Taylor  &  Co.  New 
York,  1841.) 

The  descriptive  portions  of  this  work  had  occupied  his 
pen  during  leisure  moments  on  his  last  trip,  in  the  summer 
of  1840,  and  were  nearly,  if  not  quite,  completed  before  his 
return  to  Paris.  The  chapters  devoted  to  the  history  of 
each  country  were  written  in  the  ensuing  autumn  and  win- 
ter. The  whole  was  the  fruit  of  the  desire  to  communicate, 
in  the  most  unvarnished  style,  the  impressions  gathered  by 
one  who  had  enjoyed  remarkable  opportunities  for  becom- 
ing familiar  with  the  people  of  the  Scandinavian  countries, 
from  the  peasants,  whom  he  had  repeatedly  addressed  in 
the  fields,  to  the  monarch  by  whom  he  had  been  admitted 
to  an  intimacy  rarely  accorded  to  subjects  or  foreigners. 
There  was  no  pretension  to  elegance  of  diction.  Indeed, 
the  rapid  revision  that  had  been  given  to  this  work  was 


J 


202  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIIID. 

rather  with  a  view  to  the  verification  of  stateiiients  than  to 
emendation  of  the  style.  Not  insensible  to  the  beauties  of 
fine  writing  in  others,  there  was  nothing  that  Mr.  Baird 
studied  less -in  his  own  works  ;  content  if  only  he  could  so 
express  himself  as  to  convey  his  meaning  with  distinctness, 
and  contribute  to  the  promotion  of  the  great  intellectual 
or  moral  end  which  was  the  sole  object  of  all  his  literary 
exertions. 

The  work  was  one  of  uncommon  value  for  the  informa- 
tion it  conveyed  regarding  several  countries  much  less 
known  to  the  inhabitants  of  tlie  southern  part  of  Europe 
and  of  the  United  States,  than  they  deserved  to  be.  Besides 
a  description  of  the  chief  objects  of  interest  seen  by  the 
author  in  the  course  of  his  very  considerable  travels,  it 
contained  sketches,  carefully  prepared,  of  the  history,  as 
well  as  of  the  political,  social  and  religious  condition  of 
each  country.  The  Hon.  Mr.  Schroeder,  late  Minister  of 
the  United  States  at  the  court  of  Stockholm,  assured  the 
writer  of  this  biography,  that  he  had  found  Mr.  Baird's 
"  Visit  to  Northern  Europe"  by  far  the  most  accurate  and 
reliable  book  of  travels  in  Sweden  in  the  English  language. 

Mr.  Baird  had  expected  to  spend  only  a  few  months  in 
the  United  States,  but  his  stay  was  protracted  by  provi- 
dential circumstances  ;  so  that  it  was  not  until  the  1st  of 
January,  1842,  that  he  reached  his  home  at  Paris,  after  an 
absence  from  his  family  of  more  than  eight  montlis. 

Soon  after  his  return,  he  made  two  short  trips,  one  to 
Geneva,  and  the  other  to  Toulouse,  to  attend  the  anniver- 
sary of  the  Society  for  the  Publication  of  Religious  Books. 
It  had,  for  some  time,  been  contemplated  that  Mr.  Baird, 
as  the  representative  in  Europe  of  the  Foreign  Evangelical 
Society,  should  remove  from  Paris  to  Geneva,  in  order  to  be 
able  to  co-operate  more  fully  with  the  American-Swiss 
Committee,  wliich  had  now  become  the  principal  agency 
through  which  tlie  contributions  of  Christians  in  the  United 


INTEREST  FELT  IK  AMERICA.  203 

States  were  applied  to  the  work  of  evangelizing  France. 
In  accordance  with  this  plan,  in  the  beginning  of  May, 
1842,  he  started,  with  his  family,  for  Geneva,  which  became 
his  home  for  about  a  year  and  a  half.  Here,  on  the  shores 
of  lake  Leman,  and  in  full  view  of  the  snowy  cap  of  Mont 
Blanc  and  the  panorama  of  the  Alps,  Mr.  Baird  spent  some 
of  the  happiest  moments  of  his  life.  Besides  discharging 
the  specific  duties  of  his  mission,  he  had  in  contemplation 
a  new  literary  effort.  The  ignorance,  more  or  less  general, 
which  he  had  found  prevailing  even  among  the  well  edu- 
cated on  the  continent,  respecting  the  religious  liistory  and 
polity  of  the  United  States,  had  scarcely  made  a  deeper 
impression  upon  his  mind  than  that  produced  by  the  uni- 
versal desire  to  acquire  more  definite  notions  with  regard 
to  a  country  whose  recent  strides  in  the  path  of  improve- 
ment had  been  so  gigantic.  It  was  during  his  last  tour  in 
Sweden,  Russia,  Prussia,  etc.,  that/  the  importance  of  his 
publishing  a  work  that  should  clearly  exhibit  the  religious 
economy  of  the  United  States  had  been  first  presented  to 
his  mind.  While  at  Stockholm  he  delivered,  at  the  request 
of  some  of  his  esteemed  friends,  "  several  addresses  on  the 
state  of  religion  in  our  country,  and  particularly  on  the 
action  of  our  Christians — their  efforts  in  various  ways  to 
build  up  the  kingdom  of  Christ — which  excited  much  inte- 
rest." And  he  was  urged  to  write,  as  soon  as  possible  after 
his  return  to  Paris,  "  a  small  volume  on  the  subject,  with 
the  view  of  developing  the  relations  which  our  churches 
sustain  to  the  general  government  and  that  of  the  States, 
the  statistics  of  our  denominations,  a  very  brief  history  of 
each,  a  full  account  of  our  religious  societies,  our  Sunday 
schools,  Bible  classes,  revivals,  tract  distribution,  etc., 
etc."  The  opinion  of  gentlemen  in  St.  Petersburg  and 
Copenhagen  corroborated  that  of  his  Swedish  friends. 
Senator  Huddewalcker,  of  Hamburg,  and  Professors  Nean- 
der,  Hengstenberg    and  Tholuck,  strongly  advocated  the 


undertaking  ;  and  the  latter  urged  that  so  favorable  an  op- 
portunity might  not  soon  recur.  The  Kings  of  Prussia  and 
AVirtemberg,  to  whom  he  had  communicated  his  intention, 
while  answering  their  inquiries  respecting  religious  liberty, 
also  expressed  a  deep  interest  in  the  contemplated  work. 
The  great  Leipsic  publisher,  Tauchnitz,  signified  his  readi- 
ness to  translate  and  print  it  in  German. 

So  general  a  desire,  especially  in  view  of  the  interest  of 
the  reflecting  classes  of  many  countries  of  Europe  in  the 
subject  of  religious  freedom,  Mr.  Baird  did  not  feel  himself 
at  liberty  to  disregard.  He  had  at  first  expected  to  write 
the  principal  portion  of  this  work  while  in  the  United 
States,  in  1841,  but  he  found  time  for  little  more  than  to 
make  the  necessary  preparation,  by  collecting  the  chief 
materials. 

This  work — in  many  respects  the  most  important  that 
ever  came  from  Mr.  Baird's  pen,  as  it  is  certainly  that  which 
embodies  the  most  thorough  research,  and  best  exhibits  the 
comprehensive  grasp  of  the  author's  intellect  and  heart — 
was  at  first  intended  to  be  an  exposition  of  "  The  Religious 
Economy  of  the  United  States."  Buc  the  wider  ycope  wliich 
his  inquiries  afterwards  took,  induced  him  to  entitle  it, 
"  Religion  in  the  United  States  of  America  :  or  an  Account 
of  tlie  Origin,  Progress,  Relations  to  the  State,  and  Present 
Condition  of  the  Evangelical  Churches  in  the  United 
States  ;  with  Notices  of  the  Unevangelical  Denominations." 
It  was,  in  the  English  edition,  a  volume  of  758  pages, 
divided  into  eight  books. 

In  the  first  book,  devoted  to  "Preliminary  Remarks," 
the  colonization  of  North  America,  the  peculiar  qualifica- 
tions of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  for  this  work,  the  alleged 
want  of  National  character,  the  form  of  Government,  and 
kindred  topics  pass  in  review.  It  closes  with  several  chap- 
ters in  wliich  the  obstacles  which  tlie  Voluntary  System  in 
supporting  Religion  has  had  to  encounter,  are  more  par- 


"  RELIGION  m  AMERICA:'  205 

ticularly  considered,  viz. :  the  erroneous  opinions  on  the 
subject  of  religious  economy  which  the  colonists  brought 
with  them  ;  the  newness  of  the  country  ;  the  thinness  of 
the  population,  and  the  unsettled  state  of  society  ;  slavery  ; 
and  the  vast  foreign  emigration. 

In  a  second  book,  the  religious  character  of  the  colonists 
from  each  separate  country,  and  the  union  of  Church  and 
State  during  the  Colonial  Period,  are  carefully  studied. 
The  relations  of  the  government  to  religion  since  the  Na- 
tional Era  form  the  subject  of  the  next  book.  In  the 
fourth  book  the  working  of  the  Voluntary  Principle,  con- 
sidered as  a  fundamental  part  of  the  character  and  habits 
of  the  people,  is  traced  out  in  its  bearing  upon  Church 
support  and  extension  ;  education,  both  higher  and  lower  ; 
Sunday  Schools,  and  the  various  religious  and  benevolent 
enterprises  of  the  day.  A  short  book  follows  on  the 
Church  and  the  Pulpit.  The  last  three  books  discuss  in  de- 
tail the  Evangelical  Churches,  the  Unevangelical  Denom- 
inations, and  the  efforts  of  the  American  Churches,  by  the 
various  missionary  organizations,  to  convert  the  world. 

Not  only  is  the  plan  of  this  truly  national  work  remark- 
ably comprehensive,  but  the  execution  is  careful,  evincing 
the  extent  and  conscientiousness  of  the  research.  Conspi- 
cuous throughout  is  an  all-pervading  Christian  liberality 
of  spirit.  The  delineation  of  the  various  religious  bodies, 
with  their  respective  differences  of  creed,  polity  and  tenden- 
cies, is  so  faithful  and  impartial,  that  the  representation 
of  Mr.  Baird  has  been  almost  universally  accepted  by  the 
most  devoted  adherents  of  each  Church  as  a  fair  and  suf- 
ficient portraiture.  If  any  exceptions  have  been  taken, 
they  have  originated  chiefly  with  members  of  sects  which 
were  classed  by  Mr.  Baird  among  the  unevangelical ;  or  with 
a  few  Protestants,  whose  prelatical  sympathies  led  them  to 
the  expression  of  the  wish  that  their  communion  had  rather 
been  considered  among  th6  unevangelical  denominations 


2o6  LIFE  OF  HEV.  DE.  BAIRD. 

with   tlie   Roman    Catliolic,  than  among  the   evangelical 
churches  disjoined  from  that  of  Rome ! 

"  Religion  in  America  "  was  intended,  as  has  been  seen, 
primarily  for  European  readers.     It  was  first  published  by 
Messrs.  Blackie  and  Son  (Glasgow  and  Edinburgh),  with  a 
highly  favorable  ''  Recommendatory  Notice,"  by  the  Rev. 
Drs.  David  Welsh,  William  Cunningham  and  Robert  Bu- 
chanan.     It   was   translated   into    German  by   Dr.    Carl 
Brandes  and  published  at  Berlin,  in  the  course  of  the  same 
year  (1844),  with  a  different  title."     To  the  firn't  volume  of 
this  translation  was  prefixed  a  short  preface  by  the  cele- 
brated Church  Historian,  Augustus  Xeander.     "  It  was  a 
delightful  appearance  to  me,"  he  says,  "  when  my  worthv 
friend.  Dr.  Brandes.  showed  me  the  new  published  statisti- 
cal work  of  the  United  States  of  North  America,  whose 
author  had  won  by  personal  acquaintance,  my  special  es- 
teem, and  informed  me  of  his  plan  to  translate  it  into  Ger- 
man.    The  more  the  young  new  world,  in  which  everything 
develops  itself  so  peculiarly,  claims  our  attention  and  inter- 
est, the  harder  it  is  to  obtain  a  comprehensive  view  of  all 
its  relations  ;  and  the  rarer  and  less  accessible  the  sources 
conducing  to  it,  the  more  generally  useful  is  the  under- 
taking by  which  the  book  of  a  well-educated  American  that 
gives  such  a  view,  will  be  introduced  to  that  part  of  the 
German  public  which  wishes  to  be  instructed  respecting 
such  matters." 

This  work  was  also  translated  into  French,  Swedish, 
Danish,  Dutch,  and  Italian.  In  one  or  more  of  these  lan- 
guages, however,  it  underwent  some  abridgment.  It  thus 
reached  a  large  number  of  readers  of  different  nations,  and 
contributed  not  a  little  to  disseminating  more  definite  and 
accurate  views  respecting  the  political  and  the  social,  but  es- 

*  Kirchengeschichte,  kircliliche  Statistik  und  reli^ioses  Leben  der  Ver- 
einigten  Staaten  von  Xordamerika.  (Church  History,  Ecclesiastical  Statifl- 
tics  and  Religious  Life  of  the  U.  S.  of  North  Amei  ica.) 


GEXEVA.  207 

pecially  the  religious,  history  and  condition  of  tlie  United 
States.  In  America  it  was  republished  in  1844  ;  and  a  new 
and  handsome  edition,  rewritten,  with  many  additions  and 
corrections,  bringing  it  down  to  the  present  time  appeared 
in  1856.^ 

A  great  part  of  his  "  Religion  in  America,"  Mr.  Baird 
wrote  at  Geneva,  while  residing,  during  the  summer  of  1842, 
not  very  far  from  Fernay,  Voltaire's  retreat.  It  was  not 
completed,  however,  until  the  next  year,  after  his  return 
from  the  United  States.  In  November,  leaving  his  family 
in  a  "  campagne  "  on  the  southern  side  of  lake  Leman  and 
nearer  the  city,  he  found  it  necessary  to  start  again  for  New 
York.  The  winter  and  the  ensuing  spring  were  spent  in 
America  in  labors  in  behalf  of  the  Foreion  Evansfelical 
Society.  The  cause  of  missions,  having  as  their  object  the 
regeneration  of  nominally  Christian  lands,  was  presented 
in  a  very  large  number  of  churches.  The  friends  of  the 
society  were  encouraged  by  beholding  a  very  considerable 
increase  in  the  interest  felt  in  its  work.  But  it  was  be- 
coming more  and  more  evident  that  in  order  to  secure  it  a 
permanent  place  among  the  great  charities  of  the  land,  it 
was  essential  that  it  should  possess  its  corps  of  secretaries 
and  agents  at  home,  whose  work  should  principally  be  to 
give  system  and  regularity  to  its  operations,  by  keeping  it 
before  the  eyes  of  the  Christian  public,  as  a  cause  which 
ought  to  receive  its  due  proportion  of  the  yearly  contribu- 

*  In  reply  to  a  letter,  accompanying  a  copy  of  this  work,  sent  on  its  first 
appearance,  to  Frederick  William  IV.,  Dr.  Baird  received  a  note  from  the 
king  in  "which  he  says,  under  date  of  Berlin,  February  17,  1845:  "Vous 
connaissez  trop,  Monsieur,  la  part  que  Je  prend?  a  tout  ce  qui  regarde 
I'Eglise,  pour  n'etre  pas  persuade  que  J'ai  ete  tres  sensible  a  I'envoi  de 
I'ouvrage  '  sur  I'etat  de  la  religion  en  Amerique'  qui  accompagnait  votre 
lettre  du  10  Septembre  dernier.  En  vous  remerciant  de  cette  communica- 
tion Je  Me  plais  a  vous  assurer  de  la  duree  de  Ma  bienveillance. 

Votre  affection ne,  Frederic  Guiixaume." 


2oB  LIFE  OF  REV.  BR  BAIRD. 

tions  of  the  benevolent.  Tlie  Rev.  Edward  X.  Kirk,  D.D., 
who  liad  been  for  several  years  one  of  the  corres])onding 
secretaries  of  the  Foreign  Evangelical  Societ}^  and  had 
superintended  its  home  field,  had,  much  to  the  regret  of  all 
its  friends,  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  in  May,  1842,  to  resign  this 
position,  in  order  to  become  tlie  pastor  of  a  newly-organized 
church  in  Boston.  After  an  experience  of  the  difficulty 
attending  a  society  without  a  system  of  home  agency,  and 
this  in  times  of  unparalleled  financial  severity,  the  Board  in 
May,  1843,  appointed  the  Rev.  Eli  N.  Sawtell,  at  that  time 
chaplain  of  an  American  chapel  for  seamen  at  Havre  in 
France,  to  be  Mr.  Baird's  colleague,  as  corresponding  secre- 
tary. At  the  same  time,  as  the  result  of  repeated  confer- 
ences with  the  executive  committee,  it  was  arranged  that 
^Ir.  Baird  should  bring  his  family  back  from  Europe,  and 
make  New  York  his  home. 

Besides  the  exigencies  of  the  .home  department  of  the 
society,  a  prominent  reason  for  this  step  was  to  be  found  in 
the  fact  that  the  residence  of  a  representative  of  the  Ameri- 
can Churches  in  Europe  was  no  longer  as  imperatively 
necessary  as  it  had  been,  when  Mr.  Baird  first  went  to 
France  in  1885,  and  as  it  was  for  some  years  later.  A 
thorough  survey  of  the  moral  and  religious  condition  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  countries  of  the  continent  had  not  only  ex- 
hibited the  practicability  of  labors  for  their  more  complete 
evangelization,  but  had  made  the  Christians  of  ximerica  ac- 
quainted with  the  most  promising  fields  into  which  they 
might  enter.  The  experience  of  the  past  eight  years  had 
demonstrated  th.at  this  work  might  be  carried  on  effectively 
in  cooperation  with  native  Protestants.  And  although  it 
was  still  deemed  essential  to  success  that  a  general  super- 
vision should  be  exercised  over  the  pastors,  evangelists  and 
colporteurs  sustained  by  the  funds  derived  from  the  United 
States,  and  that  detailed  statements  of  the  results  attained 
should  from  time  to  time  be  given,  to  maintain  the  interest 


THE  WALDEXf^ES.  209 

of  the  friends  of  missions  to  Roman  Catholic  lands  ;  yet  it 
was  hoped  tliat  both  of  these  objects  might  be  attained, 
almost  equally  well,  by  letter  and  by  the  occasional  visit  to 
the  European  field  of  one  of  the  secretaries. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1843,  Mr.  Baird  left  the  United 
States,  aDd  in  July  reached  Geneva,  after  an  absence  of 
nearly  eight  months.     Before  starting  with  his  family  on 
his  return,  he  made  a  rapid  tour,  in  company  with  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Sawtell,  through  northern  and  central  Italy,  in  order 
to  perfect  such  arrangements  as  might  be  practicable,  to 
facilitate  the  distribution  of  the  Bible  and  other  religious 
books.     At  that  time,  on  account  of  the  great  hostility  of 
the  various  despotic  governments  of  the  smaller  states  into 
which  the  peninsula  was  divided,  to  the  introduction  of 
Protestantism,  the  greatest  caution  was  requisite  ;  nor  was 
it  safe  to  confide  anything  of  importance  to  a  medium  of 
communication  so  frequently  tampered  with,  as  was  the 
mail.     Neither  the  names  of  the  persons  by  whom  the  seeds 
of  religious  truth  were  introduced,  nor  the  mode  of  opera- 
tions pursued,  must  be  revealed  to  the  ever-vigilant  police, 
whose  clutches  the  carbonari,  and  the  advocates  of  reform 
found  it  equally  difficult  to  escape.     The  Waldenses,  also, 
were  revisited  by  Mr.  Baird  in  company  with  Mr.  Sawtell, 
and  it  was  one  of  the  fruits  of  the  tour,  that,  at  the  solicita- 
tion of  these  inhabitants  of  the  valleys  of  Piedmont,  the 
Foreign  Evangelical  Society  appropriated  a  sufficient  sum 
to  provide  a  small  library  of  French  religious  works  for 
each  of  the  fifteen  parishes  into  which  the  Yaudois  territory 
is  divided. 

On  the  12th  of  September,  1843,  Mr.  Baird  and  his  family 
left  the  city  of  Geneva,  in  whose  environs  they  had  spent 
some  of  the  most  delightful  months  of  their  stay  in  Europe, 
surrounded  by  mountains  from  whose  summits  the  most 
picturesque  and  extensive  views  rewarded  the  patient  as- 
cent, and  in  a  Christian  society  unsurpassed  for  its  purity 
14 


2IO  LIFE  OF  RKV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

and  earnestness,  by  any  other  on  the  continent.  Tlie  route 
chosen  was  that  through  Switzerland  to  Bale,  down  the 
Rhine  to  Nimeguen,  and  thence  by  Utrecht,  Amsterdam, 
the  Hague,  Rotterdam,  Antwerp  and  Brussels,  to  tlie  Frencli 
capital.  The  pleasure  of  the  journey  was  enhanced  by  the 
companionship  of  loved  American  friends,  and  of  a  lament- 
ed servant  of  God,  the  Rev.  Hugh  Heugh  of  Scotland,  the 
savor  of  whose  Christ-like  simplicity  of  character  is  yet 
fragrant  in  th.o  memory  of  those  who  have  survived  to 
mourn  his  untimely  loss.  After  a  stay  of  ten  days  at  Paris, 
and  a  detention  of  more  than  a  week  at  Havre,  in  conse- 
quence of  unfavorable  winds,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Baird  and 
Sawtell  and  their  families  embarked  for  New  York. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

PUBLISHES  HIS  "  PROTESTANTISM  IN  ITALY."  REVISITS  EUROPE. 
ATTENDS  THE  SWEDISH  TEMPERANCE  CONVENTION.  LET- 
TER TO  DR.  BAIRD  FROM  PROMINENT  SWEDES.  FALLS  SICK 
AT  ST.  PETERSBURG.  VISIT  TO  PETERHOFF.  IS  INVITED 
BY  THE  EMPEROR  TO  ATTEND  THE  MARRIAGE  OF  THE  GRAND 
DUCHESS  OLGA.  TRAVELS  THROUGH  POLAND.  BERLIN. 
THE  KING  OF  PRUSSIA. 

1844-1846. 

FROM  November,  1843,  to  May,  1846,  Dr.  Baird  ^  was 
occupied  unintermittingly  in  the  service  of  the  For- 
eign Evangelical  Society  in  the  United  States.  For  this 
purpose  he  not  only  presented  the  cause  of  European  evan- 
gelization in  most  of  the  important  cities  and  towns  of  the 
Eastern  and  Middle  States,  but  visited  distant  parts  of  the 
South  and  West.  His  labors  and  those  of  his  colleague,, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Sawtell,  were  crowned  with  such  success  that 
the  annual  receipts  of  the  society  in  three  years  advanced 
from  $10,766  to  over  $20,000.  Of  his  assiduity  in  the 
prosecution  of  this  work  it  is  unnecessary  here  to  speak  at 
length.  The  same  entire  consecration  of  his  powers  to  this 
branch  of  Christ's  service  cliaracterizes  the  period  in  ques- 
tion, which  was  so  noticeable  a  feature  of  the  other  portions 
of  his  active  career. 

*  The  degree  of  doctor  of  divinity  had  been  conferred  upon  Mr.  Baird 
by  the  trustees  of  Jefferson  College,  Pennsylvania,  of  which  he  was  a 
graduate. 

(211) 


212  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

His  pen  was  not  idle  during  these  three  years.  Besides 
attending  to  the  rapidly-increasing  correspondence  of  the 
society,  he  found  time  to  write  a  new  work  intended  to 
further  its  interests,  by  calling  more  attention  to  the  re- 
ligious history  and  present  wants  of  one  of  the  fields  of  its 
operations.  Dr.  Baird  had,  at  one  time,  formed  the  design 
of  publishing  a  series  of  books  of  travels  in  those  countries 
of  Europe  which  he  had  visited,  some  of  them  repeatedly, 
and  not  only  describing  the  objects  of  greatest  interest 
which  they  contain,  but  giving  those  general  views  of  their 
civil  and  religious  condition  which  an  intelligent  reader 
would  most  earnestly  desire  to  obtain  from  a  competent 
eye-witness.  He  had  published  such  a  work  on  the  Scan- 
dinavian countries,  in  his  "  Visit  to  Northern  Europe  ;"  and 
it  had  been  his  intention  to  follow  out  the  plan,  by  giving  per- 
manent form,  in  like  manner,  to  his  observations  in  Russia 
and  Germany.  But  the  pressure  of  other  labors  precluded 
the  execution  of  his  design,  and  he  so  modified  his  views  as 
to  prefer  to  publish  a  scries  of  a  more  strictly  religious 
character,  that  should  be  for  Europe  in  detail  what  his 
"  Religion  in  America"  was  for  the  entire  United  States. 
He  wished  to  place  within  the  reach  of  all  that  were  de- 
sirous of  obtaining  it,  information  that  was  inaccessible  to 
the  greater  number  of  readers  ;  not  so  much  respecting  the 
geograplxical  features,  politics  and  material  resources  of 
the  several  important  states  of  Christendom,  as  concerning 
the  conflicts  of  the  truth  in  those  countries,  with  its  victo- 
ries and  reverses  ;  the  present  condition  of  the  nominally 
Christian  churches,  as  far  as  regards  vital  piety  ;  the  rela- 
tive position  and  strength  of  the  parties  favorable  and 
adverse  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel ;  its  recent  advances, 
with  the  various  instrumentalities  employed  ;  in  short,  all 
the  encouragements  and  obstacles.  It  is  to  be  regretted 
that  he  was  not  permitted  to  accomplish  this  great  under- 
taking.    No  one  was  probably  better  qualified  for  carrying 


''PROTESTANTISM  m  ITALY:' 


213 


it  to  a  successful  termination.  He  had  thoroughly  explored 
every  part  of  the  field.  He  had  enjoyed  a  personal  ac- 
quaintance with  all  the  more  prominent  friends  of  evangel- 
ical truth,  and  was  familiar  with  their  plans,  discourage- 
ments and  sufferings.  No  one,  even  among  the  natives  of 
those  countries,  had  given  more  attention  to  tlieir  religious 
statistics.  What  he  had  not  himself  gathered  and  stored 
in  his  eminently  retentive  memory,  he  had  obtained  from 
others  ;  and  he  had  frequently  been  at  no  small  expense  in 
securing  copies  of  important  statistical  papers,  procured  at 
great  trouble,  or  through  the  favor  of  influential  persons. 
Such  was  the  case,  for  instance,  with  papers  respecting  Ger- 
many, which  he  never  had  the  opportunity  of  using. 

The  first  work  of  this  series,  and  the  only  one  that  was 
ever  completed,  was  published  under  the  title  :  "  Sketches 
of  Protestantism  in  Italy ^  past  and  present^  including  a 
notice  of  the  origin,  Jdstonj,  and  present  state  of  the  Wal- 
denses^  *  The  three  leading  topics  of  this  volume,  which 
constitnte  the  subject  of  the  successive  divisions,  are  the 
Reformation  in  Italy,  its  entrance,  progress  and  suppression, 
with  a  sketch  of  the  subsequent  history  of  the  Protes- 
tant Italians  dispersed  throughout  Switzerland,  Germany, 
France,  the  Netherlands  and  England  ;  Italy  since  the 
Reformation,  its  political  and  religious  condition,  with  a 
chapter  devoted  to  the  Protestant  chapels  at  various  points 
on  the  peninsula,  chiefly  for  foreigners  and  in  connection 
with  foreign  legations  ;  and  lastly,  the  Waldenses — their 
origin  and  antiquity,  the  country  they  inhabit,  their  won- 
derful story  of  persecutions  and  deliverances,  their  present 
state,  and  their  ecclesiastical  organization,  doctrines  and 
mode  of  worship.  The  conception  of  the  plan  of  "  Pro^ 
testantism  in  Italy"  was  altogether  new.  The  "  History 
of  the  Reformation  in  Italy"  had  been  sketched  in  a  maa- 

*  Boston :  Benj.  Perkins  &  Co.,  1845.     (Second  Edition,  1847.) 


2  14  LIFE  OF  BEV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

terlv  manner  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  MeCrie  ;  and  that  of 
the  Waldenses  had  been  treated  at  Icngtli  by  Leger,  Mus- 
ton,  Gilly,  Faber  and  others.  But  these  had  not  been 
viewed  in  their  bearing  upon  the  present  condition  of  Italy, 
and  the  future  recovery  of  that  classical  land  to  a  purer 
form  of  faith.  It  was  this  practical  end  to  be  reached  that 
constituted,  in  fact,  the  chief  motive  of  the  writer.  "  The 
author  feels,"  said  the  preface,  "  that  if  this  work  should 
contribute  in  any  measure,  however  small,  to  engage  those 
who  read  it  to  take  a  deeper  interest  in  the  conversion  of 
Roman  Catholic  nations  to  true  Christianity,  his  highest 
wishes  will  have  been  accomplished." 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1846,  Dr.  Baird  decided,  with 
the  approval  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Foreign 
Evangelical  Society,  to  revisit  Europe.  There  were  sev- 
eral objects  which  seemed  to  demand  his  presence.  Besides 
taking  a  general  survey  of  the  field  of  operations  of  the 
society  in  Europe,  it  was  believed  to  be  important  that  he 
should  go  to  Sweden  and  Russia  in  the  interest  of  the  tem- 
perance cause,  and  be  present  both  at  the  great  Temperance 
Convention  to  be  held  at  Stockholm  in  the  middle  of  June, 
and  at  the  series  of  meetings  in  London,  appointed  for 
August,  at  which  it  was  proposed  to  inaugurate  an  Evan- 
gelical Alliance  for  the  entire  Christian  world.  It  was  his 
original  intention  to  return  to  the  United  States  in  the 
autumn,  but  his  absence  was  much  protracted  by  the  neces- 
sity of  spending  the  winter  in  Soutliern  Europe,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  recommendation  of  the  physicians  that 
attended  him  during  his  illness  in  Russia  and  subsequently. 

Leaving  Boston  on  the  16  th  of  May,  he  reached  Liver- 
pool on  the  28th  of  that  month,  and  after  a  stay  of  a  few 
days  in  England,  started,  by  steamer,  from  London  for 
Hamburg.  Thence  he  proceeded  by  Altona  and  Kiel  to 
Copenhagen.  In  this  city  he  spent  three  days.  On  one  of 
these  he  was  presented  to  the  King  of  Denmark,  who  en- 


EUROPE  REVISITED.  215 

tered  with  interest  into  conversation  on  the  subject  of  Tem- 
perance, and  thanked  Dr.  Baird  for  the  copy  of  his  ''  Re- 
ligion in  America/'  which  he  had  sent  him.  '•  Besides 
doing  what  I  could  to  give  a  further  impulse  to  the  Tem- 
perance cause/'  he  wrote :  "  during  my  short  stay  at  Copen- 
hagen, I  took  measures  to  have  '  Religion  in  America' 
translated  into  Danish,  with  the  hope  that  it  may  conduce 
somewhat  to  diffuse  better  views  on  the  subject  of  religious 
liberty — a  subject  which  the  Danes  are  becoming  prepared 
to  discuss.  The  little  band  of  Baptists/'  he  adds,  "  who 
have  been  so  much  persecuted  are,  at  this  moment,  unmolested 
in  the  capital ;  and  I  trust  that  they  have  seen  their  worst 
days.  Their  doctrines  are  spreading,  and  their  followers 
are  increasing,  not  only  in  Copenhagen,  but  also  in  some 
of  the  islands.  This  is  a  matter  of  joy  ;  for  they  are  excel- 
lent people  and  doing  great  good.  I  felt  it  to  be  a  great 
privilege  to  see  them,  and  hear  from  their  own  lips  the  his- 
tory of  the  oppressions  and  wrongs  they  had  endured  since 
I  was  last  in  Copenhagen." 

Hastening  to  Stockholm,  after  stopping  for  a  single  day 
at  Gottenburg,  where  he  attended  a  Temperance  meeting 
and  met  the  bishop  of  the  city  and  other  Swedish  gentle- 
men of  prominence.  Dr.  Baird  was  in  time  to  witness  the 
opening  exercises  of  the  Temperance  Convention.  High  as 
his  expectations  had  been,  he  found  them  more  than  real- 
ized. Two  hundred  and  forty-four  delegates  were  in  at- 
tendance ;  eight  from  Norway,  two  from  Germany,  four 
from  the  United  States,  and  the  remainder  from  all  parts 
of  Sweden.  The  sessions  lasted  for  three  days,  and  whilst 
the  floor  of  the  ample  Casino  was  crowded  with  members 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  proceedings,  the  spacious  gal- 
leries were  crowded  with  equally  interested  spectators.  In 
one  portion  set  apart  especially  for  their  use,  the  reigning 
king — Oscar,  son  of  Bernadotte  who  had  died  since  Dr.  Baird's 
last  visit — the  Queen,  and  the  Crown  Prince  Carl  (at  present 


2i6  LIFE  OF  REV.  DE.  BAIRD. 

reigning  with  the  title  of  Charles  XY.)  were  constantly 
in  attendance,  exhibiting  the  most  lively  satisfaction 
in  the  discussion  of  the  principles  of  this  great  movemeni. 
The  king  had  been  the  patron  of  tlie  Swedish  National 
Temperance  Society  from  its  very  institution,  and  had  often 
attended  the  meetings  of  the  executive  committee,  until  his 
accession  to  the  throne  had  rendered  this  inexpedient.  "  It 
would  be  difficult  to  name  another  monarch  in  the  world 
that  feels  sucli  an  interest  in  the  Temperance  cause  as  to 
induce  him  to  attend  a  convention,  day  after  day.  1  know 
of  no  other,  unless  it  be  the  King  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  !" 
Nor  could  an  observer  who  had  known  the  former  monarch 
of  Sweden  well  fail  to  perceive  the  striking  contrast  be- 
tween the  two  rulers.  "  I  am  happy  to  say  that  the  king 
is  extremely  popular,  not  only  in  Sweden,  but  also  in 
Norway.  His  pleasing  manners,  his  excellent  disposition, 
his  good  sense,  his  readiness  to  accede  to  all  judicious  re- 
forms— all  these  traits  of  character  render  him  deservedly 
popular.  He  is  bringing  up  his  eldest  son,  the  heir  to  the 
crown,  in  the  best  manner  possible.  He  has  him  always 
with  him,  treats  him  as  his  companion  and  friend,  and 
makes  him  acquainted  with  all  the  affairs  of  the  realm. 
This  is  very  different  treatment  from  what  he  received  him- 
self; for  his  father,  the  good  old  Bernadotte,  with  all  his 
excellent  qualities,  was  a  stern  and  severe  father,  as  well 
as  monarch.  He  kept  his  son,  the  present  king,  too  much 
at  a  distance  from  him  and  from  the  affairs  of  state.  The 
consequence  was,  tliat  the  present  king  passed  twenty  years 
and  more  of  his  life,  after  he  attained  manhood,  in  culti- 
vating literature,  music,  etc.,  and  was  almost  an  entire 
stranger  to  public  affairs.  This  was  a  great  disadvantage 
to  him." 

The  discussions  of  the  Convention  revealed  to  Dr.  Baird 
the  great  progress  tliat  had  been  made  in  the  suppression 
of  intemperance  in  Sweden,  since  he  first  visited  that  coun- 


ENCOURAGING  PROGRESS.  217 

try  ten  years  before,  and  to  which  his  own  labors  had  so 
much  contributed.  Already  332  Temperance  Societies 
had  sprung  up,  with  more  than  90,000  members.  Instead 
of  the  161,000  distilleries,  large  and  small,  to  be  found 
within  the  kingdom  in  1834,  there  were  in  1844,  72,000.  It 
was  true  that  many  of  those  that  had  ceased  were  small, 
and  that  some  of  those  that  remained  were  large,  and  had 
even  greatly  increased  their  business  ;  and  yet  the  progress 
was  undeniable,  in  reclaiming  some  portions  of  Sweden 
from  the  ravages  of  the  crying  vice  of  the  north.  In  Nor- 
way, where  the  reform  was  only  commencing  to  take  an  ef- 
fectual hold,  a  good  beginning  had  been  made  ;  there  were 
128  societies  and  nearly  fifteen  thousand  members.  The 
Storthing,  or  National  Legislature  of  Norway,  had,  in  its 
zeal  for  Temperance,  indeed,  gone  so  far  a  few  years  before, 
as  to  pass  an  act  directing  all  distilleries  to  cease  within 
ten  years  ;  but  this  radical  measure,  calculated  rather  to 
create  a  disastrous  reaction,  than  to  accomplish  any  lasting 
good,  had  been  vetoed  by  the  late  king,  Bernadotte.  The 
Storthing,  however,  nothing  daunted,  had  at  its  late  meeting 
imposed  so  heavy  a  tax  upon  all  stills,  as  to  break  up  all 
the  smaller  establishments  ;  and  it  had  shown  such  interest 
in  the  work,  as  to  send  agents  throughout  the  country,  to 
persuade  the  farmers  to  abandon  the  unprofitable  manufac- 
ture of  ardent  spirits,  and  to  offer  compensation  for  any 
loss  on  newly-erected  buildings  and  machinery  that  they 
might  incur.  Equally  important  had  been  the  progress  in 
Prussia,  Austria,  Hanover,  and  other  States  of  the  Ger- 
manic confederation,  as  reported  by  the  delegates  from 
that  country. 

No  wonder  that  Dr.  Baird's  mind  reverted  with  wonder 
and  gratitude  to  the  change  in  achieving  which  God  had 
blessed  him  by  making  him  one  of  the  principal  instruments. 
But  we  miLst  cite  his  own  words  from  a  letter  to  the  Execu- 
tive Committee  of  the  Foreign  E^^angelical  Society  : 


2i8  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

"  Whilst  listening  to  the  statements  respcotinir  the  pro- 
gress of  the  good  work  in  Sweden,  Norway,  Germany,  etc., 
I  could  not  avoid  thinking  of  the  state  of  things  in  tlie  north 
of  Europe  when  I  visited  these  countries  for  the  first  time 
in  the  montli  of  June,  1836.  At  that  time  there  was  no- 
thing worthy  of  mention  doing  in  Sweden.  The  few  socie- 
ties which  had  been  formed  were  becoming  extinct,  because 
not  founded  on  right  principles.  When  the  object  of  my 
visit  was  known  in  Stockholm  and  Upsala — whither  I  went 
to  attend  a  Promotion  at  the  University,  or  Commencement 
as  we  call  it — every  one  seemed  to  think  that  it  was  the 
most  visionary  thing  imaginable.  I  was  often  asked  by 
distinguished  men,  whether  I  really  thought  that  Temper- 
ance principles  could  be  introduced  into  Sweden  !  At  that 
time  there  was  not  a  temperance  society  in  Norway,  Den- 
mark, Germany  or  Holland.  And  now  what  has  God 
wrought  ?  In  Germany  alone  there  are  more  than  fourteen 
hundred  societies,  and  more  than  a  million  members !  In 
Sweden  and  Norway  the  cause  has  made  great  progress, 
and  is  evidently  going  to  make  a  great  deal  more,  whilst  in 
Denmark  and  Holland  the  cause  is  doing  well. 

"  Surely  we  have  reason  to  praise  God  lor  deigning  to 
crown  our  humble  efforts  witli  so  rich  a  blessing.  If  no- 
thing  else  had  been  accomplished  by  the  agency  which  the 
Foreign  Evangelical  Society  sustained  in  Europe  for  seven 
or  eight  years,  than  the  promotion  of  the  Temperance  cause, 
it  would  have  been  worth  all  that  it  cost.  In  aTl  these 
countries  it  was  the  translation  and  publication  of  the 
'  History  of  the  Temperance  Societies'  which  gave  the  first 
effectual  impulse  to  the  work — a  volume  which  was  pre- 
pared and  published  by  the  agency  of  the  Foreign  Evangel- 
ical Society,  and  which  has  been  widely  circulated  in  French, 
Dutch,  German,  Danish,  Swedish,  Finnish  and  Russian." 

Dr.  Baird  addressed  the  Convention  not  less  than  three 
times,  and  was  listened  to  in  the  most  respectful  manner. 


SWEDISH  TE^rPERANCE  CONVENTION. 


219 


The  Count  Hamilton,  Lord  of  the  Bedchamber  and  Gov- 
ernor of  the  young  princes — a  nobleman  wliose  ancestors 
came  over  from  Scotland  more  than  two  centuries  ago  to 
assist  Gustavus  Adolphiis  in  the  Thirty  Years'  War — pre- 
sided, and  replied  in  the  following  terms  to  Dr.  Baird's  first 
speech  on  the  16th  of  June  : 

"  Sir, — In  the  name  of  the  General  Temperance  Society  of 
the  North,  I  beg  leave  to  express  to  you  our  sincerest  thanks 
for  the  warm  and  cordial  greetings  you  have  brought  us 
from  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

"  Ever  since  Temperance  Societies  were  first  instituted  in 
this  country,  and  commenced  their  career  among  us,  they 
have  had  their  eyes  constantly  fixed  upon  your  country,  and 
they  have  followed  your  exertions  in  the  common  cause 
with  the  liveliest  interest.  You  have  been  to  us  not  only 
models  by  your  zeal,  but  also  an  encouraging  example  by 
your  success. 

"  I  feel  confident  that  it  will  gladden  the  hearts  of  your 
countrymen  to  liear  how  much  good  their  example  has 
wrouo:ht  even  amono-st  us  in  this  remote  countrv  :  and  I 
therefore  beg  you  to  present  to  them  our  most  afi'ectionatc 
salutations  and  kind  wishes." 

Before  the  conclusion  of  the  Convention,  Dr.  Baird  re- 
ceived the  following  short  note  in  English :  "  Sir, — The  under- 
signed, natives  of  Sweden,  feeling  an  interest  in  you  person- 
ally, and  in  the  object  for  which  you  travel,  take  the  liberty 
of  expressing  their  sincere  congratulations,  and  their  kind 
wishes  for  your  future  welfare  and  success."  This  brief 
expression  of  esteem  and  confidence  is  signed  by  Count 
Augustus  von  Hartmansdorff,  late  Prime  Minister  of  Swe- 
den, James  Berzelius,  the  eminent  chemist,  C.  A.  Agardh, 
Bishop  of  Carlstad  and  a  distinguished  botanist,  Prof  Berg- 
falk.  Count  Hamilton,  the  remarkable  peasant  Eric  Ericks- 
son.  Pastor  Wieselgren,  Colonel  Hazelius,  and  otliers. 
Before  leaving  Stockholm  he  had  a  private  audience  of 


2  20  LIFE  OF  REV.  DB.  BAIRD. 

the  king  ;  and  made  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Frederika 
Bremer,  whom  he  found  to  be  deeply  interested  in  the  United 
States,  and  warmly  desirous  of  visiting  the  New  World. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  sessions  of  the  Convention,  he 
embarked  for  St.  Petersburg,  stopping  at  Abo  to  visit  the 
aged  Archbishop  of  Finland,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Melartin,  and  at 
Helsingfors  to  obtain  information  respecting  the  moral  and 
religious  condition  of  the  Finns.  He  found  his  book  on 
Temperance,  of  which  five  thousand  copies  had  been  circu- 
lated in  Finnish,  doing  a  good  work  ;  v^iiilc  the  Britisli  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society,  by  its  agents,  had  contributed  much 
to  supply  the  alarming  destitution  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 
prevailing  among  this  Protestant  people. 

Dr.  Baird  had  not  for  some  weeTis  been  altogether  well. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  at  St.  Petersburg,  his  dir;^ease  assumed 
a  more  threatening  and  painful  form,  proving  to  be  an  at- 
tack of  inflammatory  rheumatism,  which  commenced  in  his 
right  hand.  For  many  days  he  was  confined  to  the  house, 
and  chiefly  to  his  bed  ;  and  it  was  long  before  he  could 
walk  or  write  without  great  inconvenience.  Meanwhile  he 
was  visited  with  the  greatest  kindness  by  the  friends  whom 
he  had  made  when  previously  in  Russia,  and  was  several 
times  compelled  to  decline  invitations  from  the  Prince  of 
Oldenburg  to  his  palace  at  Peterhoff  and  in  the  city.  Soon 
after  he  fell  sick,  fearing  tliat  he  could  hardly  recover  suffi- 
ciently to  see  the  Emperor  Nicholas  before  the  court  would 
be  engrossed  with  the  festivities  connected  with  the  ap- 
proaching nuptials  of  the  Grand  Duchess  Olga  to  the 
Crown  Prince  of  Wurtemberg,  he  had  dictated  in  the 
French  language  a  memorial  to  the  Emperor,  in  which  he 
recommended  for  the  promotion  of  Temperance  a  plan  simi- 
lar to  that  pursued  in  Ireland  by  Father  Mathew,  which 
he  believed  to  be  the  only  one  that  could  be  efficiently  prose- 
cuted in  Russia  in  the  present  circumstances.  One  of  the 
imperial  ministers  had  promised  to  lay  the  memorial  before 


MARRIAGE  OF  THE  GRAND  DUCHESS.  221 

his  majesty — a  promise  which  he  shortly  afterwards  ful- 
filled. 

As  soon  as  he  was  well  enough  to  do  so  with  safety,  Dr. 
Baird  accepted  a  renewed  invitation  of  the  Prince  and 
Princess  of  Oldenburg  to  spend  a  few  days  with  them  at 
their  palace  at  Peterhoif,  until  he  might  be  able  to  pursue 
his  journey.  While  the  guest  of  this  truly  Christian  couple, 
who  employ  the  great  influence  which  their  high  rank  and 
close  relationship  to  the  monarch  confers  upon  them,  to 
assist  in  every  good  work,  Dr.  Baird  was  informed  by  the 
princess  that  the  emperor  and  empress  had  expressed  tlieir 
pleasure  that  he  should  be  present  at  the  marriage  of  the 
grand  duchess,  which  was  to  take  place  at  noon  on  the  1st 
of  July  (the  13th  new  style)  in  the  chapel  of  the  palace. 
This  was  an  unexpected  honor,  as  on  account  of  his  illness 
he  had  not  been  presented  to  the  emperor  on  this  visit,  and 
the  number  of  Russians,  as  well  as  of  foreigners  who  desired 
to  see  the  ceremonial,  far  surpassed  the  capacity  of  the 
chapel  in  which  it  was  to  be  performed — a  room  barely 
forty  feet  square.  Conducted  by  an  aide-de-camp  of  the 
prince  through  a  series  of  chambers  in  the  palace,  each 
crowded  with  eager  spectators,  to  that  in  which  the  diplo- 
matic corps  were  stationed,  he  was  admitted  with  them  into 
the  chapel  and  took  a  place  not  far  from  tlie  altar.  We 
need  not  describe  in  detail  the  imposing  scene,  which  he 
graphically  delineated  in  a  private  letter  which  was  after- 
wards published.  While  the  music  was  entrancing,  the 
display  of  wealth  and  beauty  unsurpassed,  and  the  service 
novel  and  striking,  the  most  pleasing  feature  was  the  sight 
of  a  royal  family  in  which  unblemished  morality  and  the 
most  tender  affection  evidently  reigned.  None  of  the  spec- 
tators looked  on  with  more  sincere  interest  than  the  empe- 
ror himself,  who  impressed  all  with  the  conviction  that  he 
was  an  ardently-loving  father  ;  an  assurance  which  was 
corroborated  by  the  testimony  of  many  persons  with  whom 


222  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

Dr.  Baird  conversed,  who  enjoyed  the  best  opportunities  to 
obtain  accurate  information.  "  That  a  man  who  is  a  good 
father  and  an  affectionate  husband  can  be  at  heart  a  Nero," 
he  remarks,  "  I  do  not  believe." 

As  soon  as  he  had  sufficiently  recovered  his  health,  he 
started  f  3r  the  south,  in  company  with  the  American  friends 
who  had  joined  him  previously  to  his  departure  from  Lon- 
don. The  journey  to  Warsaw  and  thence  to  Berlin  was 
fatiguing,  over  ground  with  which  he  was  quite  familiar 
from  preceding  visits.  At  Warsaw  Dr.  Baird  again  saw  the 
excellent  missionaries  to  the  Jews,  and  at  the  house  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Becker,  one  of  their  number,  he  met  Rev.  Messrs. 
West  and  Beni,  the  latter  a  converted  Jew  who  had  become 
a  Lutheran  pastor  in  one  of  the  neighboring  villages.  Mr. 
Beni  agreed  to  undertake  the  translation  of  the  "  History 
of  Temperance  Societies"  from  Russian  into  Polish.  "  I 
hope  my  visit  to  Poland  will  not  be  in  vain,"  he  notes  in 
his  diary  of  this  trip,  "  even  if  nothing  else  than  this  result 
from  it."  Two  or  XIwqq  proselytes  from  among  the  lower 
class  of  Polish  Jews  were  present  at  the  prayer-meetings 
which  were  held  at  Mr.  Becker's  and  at  the  Mission  House  ; 
and  it  was  one  of  these  simple-hearted  but  ignorant  converts, 
who  when  introduced  by  the  missionary  to  the  stranger 
from  America,  and  told  that  he  had  come  from  the  other 
side  of  the  earth,  first  requested  him  to  ask  whether  he  had 
come  up  through  a  hole  ;  and  when  told  that  he  had  come 
around,  was  eager  to  know  whether  he  had  not  experienced 
great  difficulty  in  getting  over  the  edges  ! 

On  the  whole,  Dr.  Baird's  impressions  of  the  Poles  were 
far  from  being  favorable.  It  is  true  he  was  struck  with 
the  manifestly  higher  civilization  of  Poland  compared  with 
that  of  Russia.  The  lower  classes  were  incomparably  more 
intelligent  than  the  lower  classes  of  Russia  ;  whilst  the  up- 
per were  a  polished  people,  possessing  far  more  of  the  Ger- 
man and  French  manners,  than  did  even  the  highest  portion 


WARSAW. 


223 


of  Russian  society.  In  a  Aford,  tlie  civilization  was  far 
more  European.  Their  personal  appearance  was  also  finer, 
and  many  of  their  women  graceful  and  beautiful.  But 
along  with  great  personal  bravery,  there  was  to  be  found 
an  appalling  amount  of  immorality  ;  and  far  from  recog- 
nizing in  their  social  degeneracy  and  political  misfortunes 
the  legitimate  fruits  of  their  slavish  attachment  to  Roman 
Catholicism,  and  in  the  Pope  their  greatest  enemy  both  in 
1831  and  in  1846,  there  existed  the  most  bigoted  devotion 
to  the  Papal  Church,  and  an  intense  hatred  of  Protestant- 
ism. "After  all  that  I  have  heard  since  I  came  to  Warsaw, 
from  unquestionable  sources,  I  despair  utterly  of  the  recov- 
ery by  the  Poles  of  even  their  former  independence,  unless 
they  can  first  be  transformed  as  a  people,  by  a  better  relig- 
ion than  they  now  know  anything  about." 

At  Berlin  Dr.  Baird  spent  ten  days,  waiting  for  the  re- 
turn of  the  King  of  Prussia,  whom  it  was  important  for  him 
to  see,  from  southern  Germany  ;  and  even  made  an  excur- 
sion to  the  old  city  of  Prague,  where  his  American  fellow- 
travelers  left  him  to  pursue  their  journey  in  Austria  and 
Italy.  It  was  a  pleasant  trip,  and  he  experienced  feelings 
of  the  liveliest  interest  in  looking  upon  scenes  hallowed  by 
reminiscences  of  the  great  Bohemian  forerunners  of  the 
Reformation.  At  Berlin  he  saw  much  of  Professor  Nean- 
der.  On  the  day  after  his  arrival,  he  dined  at  his  house, 
and  met  the  Bishop  of  Pomerania,  Professor  Twesten,  and 
several  members  of  the  faculties  of  the  Universities  of  Bonn, 
Breslau,  Greifswalde  and  Konigsbcrg,  together  with  several 
distinguished  lavmen — all  members  of  the  extraordinarv 
Synod,  then  in  session  at  Berlin.  This  Synod  was  composed 
of  delegates,  lay  and  clerical,  from  each  of  the  eight  pro- 
vinces, together  with  four  bishops,  etc.,  and  had  been  sitting 
with  closed  doors  for  more  than  two  months.  The  subjects 
of  their  discussions,  as  Dr.  Baird  was  informed,  were  the 
three  points  of  the  nature  and  obligation  of  the  ordination 


2  24  LIFE  OF  REV.  I)R.  BAIRD. 

vowr^,  the  existing  union  between  the  Lutlieran  and  Reformed 
Chmx-he?,  and  the  form  of  church  government.  Taking 
tea,  on  another  occasion  with  Professor  Neander,  he  writes  : 
"  I  gained  much  information  from  that  wonderful  man — in- 
formation which  makes  me  take  a  deeper  interest  tlian  ever 
in  Germany."  It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  insert  here 
the  list  of  the  men  whom  Professor  Neander  regarded  as 
the  great  champions  of  error.  They  were  Baur,  professor 
at  Tubingen,  Paulus,  professor  at  Heidelberg,  Base,  profes- 
sor at  Jena,  Bret  Schneider,  pastor  at  Gotha,  Bohr,  pastor  at 
Weimar,  Wegschieider,  professor  at  Halle,  Amnion,  pastor 
at  Dresden,  and  Strauss,  formerly  of  Tiibingen. 

A  day  or  two  after  his  return  from  Prague,  Dr.  Baird 
had  an  interview  with  the  King  of  Prussia,  of  which  so  in- 
teresting an  account  is  given  in  his  private  diary  (Thursday, 
August  6),  that  we  must  insert  a  part  of  it :  "  Went  out  at 
noon  to  Potsdam,  to  see  the  king,  who  has  returned  from 
the  south  of  Germany,  and  is  now  staying  at  the  chateau 
of  Sans-Souci.  I  had  written  to  him  from  Dresden,  but  the 
letter  had  not  reached  him.  But  as  soon  as  he  saw  my  card, 
which  an  adjutant  carried  him,  he  exclaimed  :  '  Qui,  c'est 
lui ;  c'est  mon  ami  Baird,  qui  a  tant  voyage  dopuis  tant 
d'annees  pour  faire  du  bien.  Dites-lui  de  venir  pour  le 
diner  a  trois  heures.'  [Yes,  it  is  he  ;  it  is  my  friend  Baird, 
who  has  traveled  so  much  for  so  many  years,  in  order  to  do 
good.  Tell  him  to  come  to  dinner  at  three  o'clock.]  This, 
the  adjutant  assured  me,  was  just  what  he  said.  At  three 
o'clock,  I  repaired  to  the  Palace,  where  I  found  a  consider- 
able party  who  had  come  to  dine  with  his  majesty.  When 
the  king  came  into  the  saloon,  which  was  one  adjoining 
that  in  which  Frederick  the  Great  died,  after  having  spoken 
a  few  moments  with  a  Col.  Caille,  a  Frenchman  who  has 
figured  considerably  in  Egypt,  where  he  has  been  for  many 
years  in  the  service  of  the  Pasha,  he  came  to  me,  and 
shaking  hands  in  a  very  friendly  way,  he  said  :  '  My  dear 


DINNEM  AT  SANS-SOUCI. 


225 


Mr.  Baird,  liow  glad  I  am  to  see  you  once  more  here.  How 
and  where  have  \t)u  been  of  late,  when  did  you  leave  Amer- 
ica V  and  much  more  to  the  same  effect. 

"  Both  at  the  table,  and  after  dinner,  the  king  spoke  much 
with  me  on  the  subject  of  Temperance  Societies,  etc.,  etc. 
And  I  had  a  fine  opportunity,  especially  after  the  dinner, 
out  in  front  of  the  Palace,  under  the  shade  of  the  trees,  to 
say  to  him  all  I  had  to  say  in  behalf  of  the  Colonization 
Society,  as  well  as  every  other  interest  to  which  I  deemed 
it  my  duty  to  call  his  attention. 

"  There  were  eighteen  persons  at  table ;  among  them 
Prince  Frederick  of  Holland,  (a  brother  of  the  king  of  that 
country)  and  his  wife,  (a  sister  of  the  the  King  of  Prussia), 
and  their  daughter,  a  beautiful  young  lady  who  passed  her 
birthday  yesterday.  She  is  seventeen  years  of  age.  Baron 
Humboldt  was  there,  and  sat  at  table  opposite  the  king. 
Between  him  and  mvself  sat  Col.  Caille,  who  talked  more 
during  the  dinner  than  all  the  rest  of  the  company,  king 
and  all !  He  is  an  admirable  specimen  of  French  vanity. 
Several  things  that  he  said  reflected  on  the  Germans  pre- 
sent, but  he  hatl  not  discernment,  or  too  much  indifference, 
to  see  or  care  for  it.  .  .  Of  choice  wines  there  seemed  to  be 
an  abundance,  of  which  all  partook  excepting  myself.  The 
king  did  not  drink  more  than  the  rest  of  the  company,  and 
there  was  certainly  nothing  like  excess.  En  passant,  I  am 
happy  to  learn  from  all  quarters,  that  there  is  no  truth 
whatever  in  the  report  circulated  in  America  and  elsewhere, 
some  time  since,  that  he  is  a  drunkard.  At  seven  p.m.,  left 
Potsdam  and  came  back  to  Berlin  on  the  railroad.  Spent 
an  hour  with  Professor  Xeander,  and  employed  the  rest  of 
the  evenino^  till  after  midnio^ht,  in  writinsr.'' 

From  Berlin  he  proceeded  by  railway  to  Magdeburg,  and 

thence  by  steamboat  down  the  Elbe  to  Hamburg.     "  I  have 

been  much  struck  in  these  tours  in  Germany,"  he  writes. 

"with  the  intelligence  of  the  people,  even  of  the  lowest 

15 


2  26  LIFE  OF  BEV.  DR.  BATED. 

classes.  Mr.  Laing,  as  well  as  Dr.  Yauglian,  is  all  wrong 
in  what  he  says  respecting  the  failure  of  the  Prussian  school 
system  to  make  an  intelligent  people.  It  does  create  a 
taste  for  reading,  and  the  people  do  read,  if  not  so  many 
newspapers  (thougli  they  do  read  newspapers,  too)  as  witli 
us,  yet  books.  The  general  intelligence  of  the  Prussians  is 
rapidly  increasing.  And  they  thinJt,  as  well  as  read.  I 
am  entirely  mistaken  if  the  world  does  not  see  the  proof  of 
this,  long  beforo  anotlier  half  century  passes  away." 

In  Hamburg,  where  Dr.  Baird  spent  a  few  days  before 
embarking  for  London,  he  was  pleased  to  find  that  evan 
gclical  religion  was  gradually  reasserting  its  sway.  It  was 
supposed  that  the  pure  Gospel  was  now  preached  by  about 
one  third  of  the  pastors  of  the  National  Church.  Indeed 
in  all  Northern  Europe  the  truth  was  advancing,  "  not, 
indeed,  rapidly,  nor  equally,  but  really  and  steadily."  "And 
it  is  remarkable,"  he  observes,  "  that  both  pure  Christi- 
anity and  Infidelity — the  former  uniformly,  and  the  latter 
often — contribute  to  break  down  despotism  in  the  state  ; 
but  from  very  different  motives,  and  with  very  different 
weapons."  On  the  I4th  of  August  Dr.  Baird  reached  Lon- 
don. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

HIS  EARLY  ADVOCACY  OF    CHRISTIAN   UNION.      AMERICAN    OR- 
IGIN   OF    THE    EVANGELICAL    ALLIANCE    MOVEMENT.      HIS 
PARTICIPATION  IN  IT.     FIRST  CONFERENCE  AT  LONDON.    THE 
ARTICLE  ON  FUTURE  REWARDS  AND  PUNISHMENTS.  UNHAPPt - 
INTRODUCTION  OF  THE  QUESTION  OF  AMERICAN  SLAVERY. 

1846. 

WITH  the  movement  in  favor  of  a  more  distinct  and 
general  recognition  of  the  brotherhood  of  all  Chris- 
tian believers,  Dr.  Baird  had,  from  its  very  initiation  enter- 
tained a  hearty  sympathy.  His  views  had  always  been 
large  and  liberal.  While  he  desired  no  religious  fellowship 
wiili  those  who  deny  the  cardinal  trnlhs  of  Christianity, 
and  reject  any  of  the  essential  features  of  the  plan  of  sal- 
vation revealed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  he  believed  that 
those  who  found  their  hopes  exclusively  upon  the  atonement 
of  the  blessed  Saviour,  and  who  ought  therefore  to  be  one 
in  Christ  Jesus,  are  far  too  often  separated  from  each  other 
by  feelings  of  distrust  and  hostility,  consequent  upon  minor 
differences  of  faith  and  practice*  Few  among  his  Christian 
brethren  surpassed  him  in  attachment  to  his  own  Church. 
He  loved  its  time-hallowed  simplicity  of  worship,  he  held 
from  the  heart  all  the  articles  of  its  confession  of  doctrine? 
he  cherished  its  history  of  conflicts,  trials  and  successes,  he 
believed  that  no  system  of  church  government  was  so 
clearly  laid  down  in  the  inspired  Word  of  God.  In  a  word, 
he  was  a  Presbyterian  by  choice  and  conviction  ;  his  youth- 

(227) 


228  LIFE  OF  REV,  DR.  BAIRD. 

ful  attachment  having  deepened  and  matured  with  the  lapse 
of  years.  And  yet  lie  recognized  a  larger  and  universal 
Cliurcli,  of  whicli  individual  denominations  Avere  only  minor 
divisions  ;  and  of  this  Church  he  was  convinced  that  all 
were  true  members  who  held  the  great  Head,  Jesus  Christ. 
Diversity  of  opinion  on  less  important  points,  although  in 
itself  undesirable,  was,  in  his  view,  an  unavoidable  result 
of  tlie  imperfection  and  ignorance  of  men  not  wholly  sanc- 
tified. But  he  deplored  that  members  of  the  one  invisible 
Church  had,  for  so  many  ages,  showed  much  more  zeal  in 
maintaining  and  magnifying  their  divergence  from  one 
another,  than  eagerness  in  demonstrating  their  essential 
unity. 

His  own  history  had  been  a  practical  exemplification  of 
Christian  union.  Not  only  had  he  in  several  successive! 
benevolent  and  religious  enterprises  identified  himself  with 
organizations  that  embraced  members  of  many  different 
religious  denominations  ;  but  while  pursuing  his  extensive 
travels  in  the  United  States  and  in  Europe,  and  endeavor- 
ing to  advance  the  cause  of  Christ  everywhere,  he  had 
entered  into  the  closest  relations  with  clergymen  and  lay- 
men of  every  other  evangelical  Church,  had  preached  in 
their  pulpits,  not  only  in  advocacy  of  the  particular  object 
of  his  mission,  but  on  the  general  interests  of  religion,  and 
quite  as  often  on  the  great  topics  promotive  of  personol 
piety.  He  had  addressed  their  Sabbath  schools,  had  spoken 
words  of  exhortation,  and  prayed  at  their  meetings  for 
social  worship,  and  had  not  hesitated  to  plead  their  cause, 
when  they  were  persecuted,  in  the  courts  of  kings.  His 
heart  had  never  been  closed,  nor  his  lips  silent  when  any- 
thing was  to  be  said  or  done  in  their  behalf. 

"  This   Evangelical   Alliance  movement,"  he  writes  in 

1855,  "  is  of  American  origin.     As  early  as  1843,  the  Rev. 

*•     Dr.  Bacon,  of  New  Haven,  submitted   to   the  writer   his 

ideas  of  an  Evangelical  Alliance  for  the  Protestant  world, 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  ALLIANCE.  229 

the  object  of  wliicli  was  to  bring  together,  once  in  a  few 
years,  delegates  from  all  branches  of  the  Protestant  Church, 
at  one  time  in  Edinburgh  or  London,  at  another  in  Paris  or 
Geneva,  and  at  another  in  New  York,  for  the  purpose  of 
setting  forth,  in  a  brief  and  simple  formula,  the  great  doc- 
trines of  the  Christian  faith  in  which  all  Evangelical  Chris- 
tians are  agreed  ;  secondl}^,  to  bring  together  a  great  amount 
of  information  respecting  the  state  of  religion  in  their  re- 
spective countries  ;  thirdly,  to  devise  plans  for  the  further 
extension  of  the  Gospel ;  and  fourtlily,  to  cultivate  those 
sentiments  of  brotherly  love  and  sympathy  wliich  ought  to 
subsist  between  the  several  members  of  the  true  Church  of 
Christ,  wherever  they  may  be  found  in  the  world. 

"  Something  like  this  was  the  simple  and  grand  object 
which  Dr.  Bacon  had  in  view.  At  his  request,  I  wrote  to 
the  celebrated  Dr.  Merle  d'Aubigne,  of  Geneva,  in  Switzer- 
land, and  asked  him  to  bring  the  matter  before  the  churches 
of  that  country.  This  he  did  at  a  meeting  of  two  hundred 
ministers  at  St.  Gall,  in  the  summer  of  1844.  That  body 
of  Christians  deputed  him  to  go  over  to  Great  Britain,  and 
bring  the  subject  before  the  Christians  of  that  country. 
This  was  done  in  the  summer  of  1845.  Meanwhile,  the 
Rev.  John  Angell  James,  of  Birmingham,  to  whom  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Patton,  of  New  York,  had,  at  Dr.  Bacon's  request, 
written  on  the  subject,  had  begun  to  move  in  England. 

"  It  resulted  from  this  double  movement,  that  English  and 
Scotch  brethren  were  quite  prepared  for  action.  Some 
interesting  meetings  were  held  in  the  autumn  of  1845,  at 
Liverpool,  London  and  elsewhere,  and  a  British  Evangelical 
Alliance  was  actually  formed,  to  which  was  committed  the 
task  of  calling  an  oecumenical  or  general  meeting  of  Pro- 
testants, to  form  an  (Ecumenical  or  General  Alliance.  With 
the  forwardness  which  characterizes  the  nation,  the  Englisli 
Alliance  not  only  appointed  the  meeting  to  be  held  in  t^eir 
own  metropolis  in  August,  1846,  but  also  decided  on  a  for- 


230  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR,  BAIRD. 

mula  of  doctriues  to  be  adopted  by  the  "  (Ecumenical  Coun- 
cil" which  it  was  proposed  to  convene,  and  also  on  tlic 
term^  of  adndssion  to  its  ranks.  Although  this  was  widely 
felt  to  be  scarcely  courteous  to  Christians  of  other  lands, 
yet  a  large  number  of  delegates  came  together." 

It  was  not  surprising,  in  view  of  his  early  connection 
with  the  undertaking,  that  Dr.  Baird  took  a  lively  interest 
in  the  success  of  the  projected  alliance  for  the  whole  world. 
He  was  one  of  a  number  of  friends  of  Christian  union  that 
met  in  the  city  of  New  York  in  the  spring  of  1846,  to  con- 
sider the  invitation  addressed  by  British  Christians  to  their 
brethren  throughout  the  world,  requesting  them  to  meet  in 
London  in  the  month  of  August,  together  with  the  doctrinal 
basis  tliat  had  been  proposed  by  the  Liverpool  Conference 
lield  in  October,  1845.  It  was  at  this  meeting  that  the 
remarkable  omission  in  this  basis,  drawn  up  by  the  hand  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Candlish,  of  all  mention  of  the  doctrines  of 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  the  resurrection  of  the  body, 
the  last  judgment,  and  future  rewards  and  punishments,  was 
first  pointed  out ;  and  it  was  resolved  to  insist  upon  the 
insertion  into  the  platform  of  a  suitable  recognition  of  these 
important  truths.  It  was  one  of  Dr.  Baird's  principal 
objects  in  Europe  to  attend  the  important  gathering  of 
Christians  at  London  which  was  intended  to  partake  so 
much  more  truly  of  the  character  of  an  oecumenical  council 
than  many  of  those  that  are  enrolled  in  ecclesiastical  his- 
tory. 

The  alliance  was  finally  about  to  meet.  This  is  not  the 
place  for  a  general  discussion  of  its  proceedings  ;  for  it  is 
only  so  far  as  Dr.  Baird  was  personally  concerned  in  them 
that  a  mention  of  them  is  appropriate.  On  Monday  morn- 
ing, xVugust  17,  he  went  to  Exeter  Hall,  and  gave  in  his 
name  as  a  delegate  from  the  Synod  of  New  Jersey  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  the  United  States.  On  the  follow- 
ing day  the  aggregate  meeting,  preliminary  to  the  Alliance, 


DISCUSSION.  231 

adopted  the  "  Principles  of  Alliance,"  with  an  amendment 
to  the  fourth  article,  suggested  by  Rev.  William  Symington, 
D.D.,  of  Glasgow,  and  intended  to  acknowledge  the  su- 
preme authority  and  dominion  of  Christ.  "  The  Rev. 
Samuel  H.  Cox,  D.D.,  then  presented,  as  a  ninth  article,  the 
additional  one  which  had  been  adopted  in  New  York,  relat- 
ing to  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  the  judgment  of  the 
world  by  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  eternal  happiness  of  the 
righteous,  and  the  eternal  punishment  of  the  wicked.  Tliis 
led  to  much  discussion.  The  meeting  adjourned  at  three 
p.  M.,  to  meet  at  lialf-past  five.  I  went  to  the  meeting  at 
six,"  adds  Dr.  Baird  in  Ids  diary,  "  and  remained  till  it 
adjourned  at  ten  o'clock.  A  wonderful  meeting !  Dr. 
Cox's  proposition  was  most  ably  discussed  by  many  persons, 
as  for  instance,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Byrth,  Bevan,  Monod  and 
others  who  opposed  ;  and  Messrs.  Smyth,  Skinner,  Demp- 
ster, Himes,  Scales,  Bickersteth,  James,  Bunting  and  others. 
In  this  debate  I  took  part  for  the  first  time.  At  the  close, 
the  article  was  adopted,  with  only  five  votes  against  it,  and 
made  the  ninth  article  of  the  series.  A  fine  spirit  prevailed 
throughout.  In  the  midst  of  the  debate,  and  when  the  way 
to  anything  like  unanimity  was  hedged  up,  a  season  of 
prayer  was  observed,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bickersteth  made 
a  most  beautiful  and  appropriate  address  to  the  throne  of 
grace.  At  the  close,  Dr.  Lyman_  Beecher  said,  '  This  is 
God!'  'Yes,'  said  Mr.  James  (of  Birmingham),  '  this  is 
God's  work.'"  We  have  no  sketch  even  of  Dr.  Baird's 
remarks  on  this  occasion,  but  we  have  the  testimony  of  his 
venerable  friend,  the  proposer  of  the  article,  to  the  state- 
ment that  they  were  singularly  direct  and  efi'ective.  and 
contributed  not  a  little  to  the  success  of  the  motion  to 
incorporate  a  recognition  of  these  great  truths  in  the  com- 
mon profession  of  the  Alliance.  But  its  opponents  were 
not  satisfied  with  this  decision  of  the  question ;  their 
attempt,  however,  to  strike  it  out,  at  a  later  stage  of  the 


232  LIFE  OF  REV  DU.  BAIRD. 

proceedings,  was  defeated,  after   another  protracted  dis- 
cussion, by  an  overwhelming  majority. 

The  Sunday  that  commenced  the  second  week  of  the  ses- 
sion of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  beheld  a  striking  exhibi- 
tion of  the  possibility  of  Christian  communion  between 
members  of  different  denominations. 

"  This  has  been  an  interesting  Sabbath,"  notes  Dr.  Baird. 
"  Eighty-one  churches — Episcopalian,  Congregational,  Pres- 
byterian, Methodist,  Baptist,  etc. — were  opened  to  the  dele- 
gates from  a  distance.  In  thirty  of  tliem  American 
minisfers  preached.  Many  received  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  at  the  Rev.  Baptist  Noel's  church — some  say 
as  many  as  150  ;  others  300.  Among  them  J.  H.  Hinton 
and  several  other  Bapt-ist  ministers."  Dr.  Baird  himself 
preached  for  the  Rev.  Owen  Clarke. 

When  the  "  Objects  "  proposed  by  the  Evangelical  Alli- 
ance were  brought  up  for  consideration,  lie  took  a  consider- 
able part  in  the  discussion  ;  and  one  or  more  of  the  amend- 
ments adopted  originated  with  him. 

A  subject  of  great  interest  and  difficulty  remained  to  be 
settled.  The  American  delegates  had  been  confronted  on  . 
their  arrival  in  England  by  a  new  test  of  membership 
adopted  in  April,  by  the  "  Aggregate  Committee"  at  Bir- 
min«-ham,  in  these  words  :  "  That,  while  this  committee 
deem  it  unnecessary  and  inexpedient  to  enter  into  any 
question  at  present  on  the  subject  of  slaveholding,  or  on 
the  difficult  circumstances  in  which  Christian  brethren  may 
be  placed  in  countries  where  the  law  of  slavery  prevails  ; 
they  are  of  opinion  that  invitations  ought  not  to  be  sent 
to  individuals  who,  whether  by  their  own  fault  or  other- 
wise, may  be  in  the  unhappy  position  of  holding  their 
fellow  men  as  slaves."  Deeming  this  resolution,  offered  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Candlish,  to  be  evidently  aimed  in  an  un- 
friendly manner  at  Americans,  many  who  had  come  with 
the  intention  of  attending  the  Alliance,  abstained  from  all 


TEST  OF  MEMBERSHIP, 


233 


participation  in  its  proceedings  ;  wliile  the  rest  united  in 
regarding  it  as  a  deplorable  circumstance  tKat  the  com- 
mittee had  seen  fit  to  transcend  the  limits  of  Christian 
courtesy,  and  by  an  invidious  discrimination  had  interfered 
in  the  affairs  of  the  churches  of  another  country.  But  the 
entire  question  was  brought  up  directly  before  the  attention 
of  the  Alliance  in  an  amendment  offered  by  the  Rev.  J.  H. 
Hinton  to  the  declaration  that  "  the  Alliance  shall  consist 
of  those  persons,  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  who  shall  concur 
in  the  Principles  and  Objects  adopted  by  the  Conference." 
Tlie  amendment  consisted  in  the  insertion,  after  the  words 
"  those  persons,"  of  the  words  "  not  being  slaveholders." 
This  ill-advised  measure  was  the  occasion  of  a  protracted 
discussion,  evincing  a  diversity  of  views  that  threatened  to 
rend  the  Alliance.  In  order  to  prevent  such  a  catastrophe, 
and  endeavor  to  reintroduce  harmony,  the  entire  question 
was  submitted  for  deliberation  to  a  committee  of  forty-five 
members,  of  whom  Dr.  Baird  was  one.  "  I  spent  the  whole 
day,"  says  he,  in  his  diary,  under  date  of  Saturday,  August 
29,  "  at  Free  Masons'  Tavern.  The  Select  Committee  of 
forty-five  met,  and  after  a  long  discussion,  they  added  six 
morp  persons  from  the  Continent^  and  tlien  divided  into 
three  sub-committees — English,  American,  and  Continental. 
After  two  or  three  hours  of  separate  deliberation,  we  came 
together  ;  the  Americans  and  those  from  the  Continent 
being  ready  to  report  (and  both  against  Mr.  Hinton's 
amendment,  which  excluded  slaveholders  from  the  Alli- 
ance), but  the  English  were  not.  Separated  again  ;  the 
Americans,  Germans  and  French,  to  pray  and  wait  till  the 
English  might  be  ready.  At  length  they  sent  us  a  commu- 
nication. The  result  was  the  introduction  of  a  resolution 
which  was  consented  to  by  most  of  the  Americans,  for  the 
sake  of  peace  and  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  the  Confer- 
ence to  form  or  organize  the  Alliance.  But  it  will  not  give 
satisfaction  in  America  and  I  see  no  other  course  for  us  to 


pursue  than  tliat  which  I  proposed  to  the  Select  Committee 
this  morning,  namely,  that  of  having  independent  Alliances 
in  Great  Britain,  in  the  United  States,  and  on  tlie  Conti- 
nent, with  a  septennial,  quinquennial,  or  triennial  confer- 
ence of  deputies  from  all.  Finally  the  report  of  the  Select 
Committee  was  carried  to  the  Conference  ;  but  I  had  no 
disposition  to  stay  and  hear  it  read.  I  understand,  how- 
ever, that  several  Americans  protested.  The  Americans 
met  after  the  close  of  the  Conference,  about  eight  o'clock, 
and  adhered  to  their  former  protest,  and  ordered  it  to  be 
read  to  the  Conference  on  Monday.  They  also  appointed 
a  committee  to  take  measures  to  form  an  American  Branch. 
As  I  am  on  that  committee,  I  will  see  what  can  yet  be  done 
to  form  an  independent  Alliance,  for  I  am  sure  we  cannot 
work  well  with  our  English  bretliren  in  an  (Ecumenical 
one." 

Dr.  Baird,  while  abstaining  from  voting  against  the 
resolution  reported  by  the  committee,"  in  place  of  the 
amendment  of  Mr.  Hinton,  from  the  desire,  which  he  felt  in 
common  with  all  the  Americans,  to  do  nothing  to  prevent 
the  successful  organization  of  the  Alliance,  was  not  back- 

*  "Resolved,  that,  in  respect  to  the  necessity  of  personal  holiness,  the 
Alliance  are  of  opinion,  that  it  is  recognised  in  the  Article  of  the  Basis — on 
the  work  of  the  Spirit ;  and,  in  reference  to  various  social  evils  existing  in 
countries  within  the  circle  of  the  Alliance,  such  as  the  profanation  of  the 
Lord's  Day,  intemperance,  duelling,  and  the  sin  of  slavery,  they  commend 
these  and  similar  evils  to  the  consideration  of  the  Branches  ;  trusting  that 
they  will  study  to  promote  the  general  purity  and  the  Christian  honof 
of  this  Confederation,  by  all  proper  means.  And,  in  respect  especially  to 
the  system  of  slavery,  and  every  other  form  of  oppression  in  any  country, 
the  Alliance  are  unanimous  in  deploring  them,  as  in  many  ways  obstructing 
the  progress  of  the  Gospel;  and  express  their  confidence,  that  no  Branch 
will  admit  to  membership  slaveholders,  who,  by  their  own  fault,  continue 
in  that  position,  retaining  their  fellow  men  in  slavery,  from  regard  to  their 
own  interests."  The  first  sentence  was  the  resolution  as  originally  framed 
by  the  American  members  of  the  Committee,  the  second  was  added  by  the 
English. 


LAST  ADDRESS.  235 

ward  in  expressing  his  dissent  from  the  position  adopted, 
and  his  belief  that  it  would  cripple,  if  not  destroy  the  use- 
fulness of  the  Alliance  in  America.     In  a  speech  before  the 
Alliance,  on  the  following  Monday,"  he  declared  his  belief 
that  on  its  present  basis,  it  would  be  impossible  to  induce 
a  large  majority  of  the  American  churches  to  co-operate 
with  the  Alliance.     "  Look,"  he  said,  "  at  the  ground  occu- 
pied by  the  American  Board  of  Missions  ;  a  society  sup- 
ported   by   the    Congregationalists,   by   the   New   School 
Presbyterians,  by  the  Old    School    Presbyterians,  by  the 
Dutch  Reformed  Church,  by  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  by 
others.     Look  at  the  ground  taken  at  their  meeting,  last 
fall.     It  shows  you  precisely,  what  the  great  majority  of 
our   Churches  hold  on  this  subject ;  and  they  will  not  be 
driven  from  it  easily,  or  because    you  have    pressed  it." 
Dr.  Baird  concurred  heartily  in  the  subsequent  action  oi 
the  Conference  in  rescinding  the  obnoxious  resolution,  and 
committing   the   details  of  organization    to    the    various 
branches,  which  were  to  be  established  in  Great  Britain, 
the  United  States,  France,  etc. 

*  This  short  speech  is  erroneously  attributed  to  Rey.  Dr.  Beecher,  in  the 
Report  of  the  Prooeedings  of  the  Conference  published  in  London  in  1847. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

TEAVELS  IN  THE  SPANISH  PENINSULA.  GIBRALTAR.  SIR 
ROBERT  WILSON.  TANGIER.  FROM  CADIZ  TO  MADRID. 
MARRIAGE  OF  THE  QUEEN.  ILLNESS.  TOUR  TO  MALTA, 
ATHENS  AND  THE  EAST.  SMYRNA.  CONSTANTINOPLE, 
THE  ARMENIAN  PATRIARCH  AND  THE  AMERICAN  MISSION- 
ARIES. RETURN  BY  TRIESTE.  MILAN.  PASSPORT  REGU- 
LATIONS. MEETINGS  IN  ENGLAND  AND  SCOTLAND.  RE- 
FLECTIONS. 

1846-1847. 

ON  the  7th  of  September,  1846,  Dr.  Baird  embarked  at 
Southampton  for  Gibraltar,  with  the  intention  of 
visiting  Spain,  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  anything  could 
be  done  by  the  society  which  he  represented  to  diffuse  the 
light  of  a  pure  Gospel  in  a  land  so  long  abandoned  to  reli- 
gious intolerance  and  superstition.  At  Corunna,  Vico,  and 
the  mouth  of  the  Duero,  the  steamer  stopped  too  short  a 
time  to  permit  the  travelers  to  give  more  than  a  glance 
at  some  of  the  more  interesting  objects  claiming  the 
stranger's  attention.  At  Lisbon  they  enjoyed  a  better 
opportunity.  Here  Dr.  Baird  not  only  found  a  chapel 
where  a  few  English  and  German  Protestants  gathered 
every  Sabbath  to  listen  to  preaching  in  their  own  native  lan- 
guages ;  but  also  a  private  parlor  in  which  a  Portuguese 
proclaimed  the  truth  to  his  compatriots.  "  Many  go 
secretly  to  hear  liim,  and  the  police  wink  at  the  proceeding. 
This  is  a  wonderful  cliange.     A  few  years  ago,  neitlier  con  ■ 

(236) 


MOOIiL^H  CARXIVAL.  237 

verted  Romanist  nor  Protestant  would  have  been  allowed 
to  preach,  openly  or  secretly,  to  the  native  population  of 
this  city  or  of  any  other  city  in  Portugal." 

At  Gibraltar  he  spent  nearly  two  weeks,  and  formed  an 
acquaintance  with  a  number  of  pious  officers  connected  with 
the  five  British  regiments  which  constituted  the  garrison 
of  the  fort.  Through  this  important  point  Spain  was  tl^n 
more  accessible  to  Protestant  effort  than  anywhere  else  on 
its  circumference.  He,  therefore,  improved  tlie  brief  period 
of  his  stay  in  making  suitable  arrangements  for  the  intro- 
duction of  religious  volumes  into  the  heart  of  the  peninsula. 
Of  the  native  citizens  of  the  town  itself,  he  jots  down  in  his 
diary  an  unfavorable  impression  :  ''  They  are  a  mixture 
of  almost  all  the  nations  that  border  on  the  Mediterranean. 
While  some  are  intelligent  and  agreeable  people,  the 
greater  part  are  said  to  be  ignorant,  worldly-minded,  and 
wholly  indifferent  to  their  true  spiritual  interests.  A  dark 
complexion,  and  black  hair  and  eyes,  are  almost  universal 
characteristics  of  the  '  rock  scorpions,'  as  the  native  inhabi- 
tants of  Gibraltar  are  called  by  the  English  garrison." 

Besides  inspecting  the  galleries  that  have  been  cut,  at  so 
great  an  expense  of  labor,  in  the  sides  of  this  impregnable 
rock.  Dr.  Baird  made  a  pleasant  excursion  a  few  miles  into 
the  interior  of  Spain,  to  the  well-known  corh  grove,  and 
devoted  two  or  three  days  to  a  visit  to  Tangier,  on  the 
opposite  African  coast. 

The  trip  was  made  in  a  Moorish  felucca  with  lateen  sails. 
The  crew  were  Moors  and  Spaniards,  and  the  passengers 
Moors,  Jews  and  Spaniards.  On  reaching  the  harbor  of 
Tangier,  in  default  of  a  wharf,  the  passengers  were  carried 
to  the  shore  upon  men's  shoulders.  They  arrived  at  an  in- 
terestino:  time.  "  This  is  a  irreat  dav  of  feasting  and 
rejoicing.  The  fast  Ramadan,  which  continues  thirty  days 
terminated  yesterday.  Xow  all  is  hilarity  and  idleness  ; 
saw  a  company  of  tenor  twelve  negroes,  dressed  a  la  Moor, 


238  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

dancing  in  a  circle,  to  the  music  of  a  drum  and  of  casta- 
nets. So  great  was  the  noise  through  the  night,  from  blow- 
ing of  horns,  the  shrill  music  of  an  instrument  which  gave 
forth  a  sound  like  that  of  a  bagpipe,  but  which  played 
nothing  like  a  really  well-defined  tune,  etc.,  that  I  could 
sleep  little.  And  then  I  was  in  Africa !  In  the  land  of 
Jugurtha,  of  ancient  Mauritania,  of  Syphax,  and  of  those 
Moors  who  conquered  Spain,  and  threatened  to  overrun 
France  !  Yet  I  was  tired  enough  to  sleep  under  almost  any 
other  circumstances  ;  for  I  had  spent  the  last  night  on  the 
ballast  of  our  little  ship,  which  consisted  of  small  stones." 
While  at  Gibraltar,  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  Gov- 
ernor General,  Sir  Robert  Wilson,  by  whom  he  was  invited 
to  dinner  at  his  cottage,  "just  beneath  the  beetling  rock 
near  Europa  Point,  but  facing  the  Mediterranean."  The 
evening  was  pleasantly  spent  in  conversation  with  this  re- 
markable man :  "  Sir  Robert  has  seen  a  good  deal  of  service. 
He  entered  the  army  in  1793,  and  was  in  India,  at  the  taking 
of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  in  the  Peninsular  war,  in  two 
campaigns  in  Russia  (1806  and  1812),  and  at  the  battles  of 
Dresden,  Culm,  Leip°:-,  etc.,  of  which  he  -^lentionod  m.any 
interesting  anecdotes,  as  also  of  the  late  Queen  of  Russia, 

of  Bonaparte,  and  of  Moreau He  gave  me  a  full 

account  of  Moreau's  conversations  with  him  re.-pecting  his 
(Moreau's)  false  position  in  the  Allied  Army.  At  the  battle 
of  Dresden  in  the  early  part  of  the  action.  General  Wilson 
was  by  his  side.  Both  were  on  horseback,  and  the  Emperor 
of  Russia,  Lord  Cathcart  and  other  distinguished  officers 
were  quite  near.  Moreau  was  talking  to  him,  and  had  just 
placed  his  hand  on  Sir  Robert's  knee,  when  an  eighteen- 
pound  shot  struck  his  thigh,  crushed  it,  passed  through  the 
horse,  and  broke  the  other  knee.  The  horse  stood  a  moment, 
then  shook  violently  and  sank  to  the  ground.  Moreau  called 
to  his  companion  to  save  him  from  the  horse.  Sir  Robert 
jumped  down,  gave  his  own  horse  to  a  soldier  and  took 


SIR  ROBERT  WILSON'  AITD  GEN'.  MOREAU. 


239 


Moreau  in  his  arms,  tvIio,  looking  np  in  liis  face,  said,  '  Mon 
affaire  est  finie  ! '  General  Wilson  served  under  Sir  David 
Baird,  to  wlioni  lie  says  I  bear  a  very  strong  resemblance ! 
He  is  an  interesting  man,  but  is  not  popular  here,  being  a 
rigid  disciplinarian,  and  meddling  with  too  many  details. 
He  is  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  but  remarkably  easy 
and  free  in  his  manner  of  treating  his  guests."^ 

On  the  28th  of  September  he  left  Gibraltar  for  Cadiz, 
and  passed  on  his  way  the  famous  promontory  of  Trafalgar. 
From  Cadiz  he  ascended  the  Guadalquivir  to  Seville.  Here 
the  very  remarkable  cathedral  with  the  tomb  of  Hernando 
Columbus,  son  of  the  great  discoverer,  the  Exchange  with 
the  Archives  of  the  Indies,  the  Royal  Tobacco  manufactory, 
and  the  magnificent  Alcazar  or  Alharabra,  were  the  princi- 
pal objects  of  interest  which  he  visited.  The  next  stage  of 
the  journey  was  a  ride  in  the  "  diligence"  to  Cordova,  where 
he  was  much  interested  in  the  curious  old  mosque,  now 
turned  into  a  cathedral,  with  its  forest  of  columns  of  differ- 
ent orders  and  materials,  supporting  a  low  roof  and  almost 
blocking  up  the  interior. 

He  was  so  fortunate  as  to  reach  Madrid  on  the  very  even- 
ing upon  whicli  the  Queen  of  Spain  and  her  sister  were  to 
be  married  ;  and  though  this  coincidence  rendered  it  almost 
impossible  for  him  to  obtain  accommodation  during  his  brief 
stay,  in  consequence  of  the  vast  concourse  of  people,  it  gave 
him  the  opportunity  of  witnessing  tlie  Spanish  capital  at 
one  of  its  gala  seasons,  and  of  seeing  some  of  the  most 
prominent  personages  of  the  kingdom.  In  the  procession, 
on  the  day  following  his  arrival,  he  obtained  a  glance  at 

*  Besides  furnishing  Dr.  Baird  with  facilities  for  visiting  parts  of  the 
fortress  which  are  not  ordinarily  thrown  open  to  strangers,  the  governor 
kindly  gave  him  at  parting  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Sir  Henry  Lytton 
Bulwer,  to  which  he  appended  this  characteristic  postscript:  "Although  I 
lost  £10,40n  in  United  States  Pennsylvania  Bank,  Mr.  Baird  has  reconciled 
me  to  Pennsylvania !" 


240 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


the  queen,  her  mother  Christina,  the  royal  consort,  Nar- 
vaez,  etc. 

From  Madrid  he  traveled  northward  to  Burgos,  and  en- 
tered France  near  Bayonne,  having  completed  a  tour  in 
Spain  whicli  had  enabled  him  to  obtain  much  accurate  in- 
formation respecting  that  interesting  country,  and  to  judge 
intelligently  of  the  prospects  of  religion,  and  of  the  practi- 
cability of  labors  in  its  behalf  on  the  part  of  American 
Protestants. 

At  Toulouse  he  conferred  with  the  Courtois  brothers  and 
members  of  the  Society  for  the  Publication  of  Good  Books, 
respecting  the  work  of  the  Foreign  Evangelical  Society  in 
the  southern  part  of  France.  It  had  been  his  intention  to 
remain  here  but  a  short  time,  and  at  once  to  proceed  to  the 
northern  part  of  the  kingdom,  as  well  as  to  Geneva,  before 
returning  to  the  United  States.  But  he  had  scarcely  set 
foot  in  France  before  lie  fell  sick,  and  when  he  reached 
Toulouse  he  was  too  much  indisposed  to  continue  his  jour- 
ney. In  accordance  with  the  advice  of  physicians,  who 
deemed  it  highly  imprudent  for  him  to  attempt  to  go  north- 
ward, and  recoinmended  that  for  a  few  weeks  at  least  he 
should  enjoy  the  mild  climate  of  the  shores  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean, he  determined  to  alter  his  course  and  go  to  Italy, 
and  if  not  sufficiently  restored,  to  embrace  this  occasion  to 
visit  Athens  and  Constantinople. 

When  at  length  able  to  leave  his  hotel.  Dr.  Baird,  after 
attending  the  anniversary  services  of  the  very  useful  orphan 
institute  founded  by  the  Protestants  of  southern  France  at 
Saverdun,  nearly  south  of  Toulouse,  traveled  in  the  dili- 
gence by  Castres,  Beziers  and  other  cities  of  historical  im- 
portance, to  Montpellicr,  and  thence  to  Nismes  and  Mar- 
seilles. On  the  evening  of  November  1st  he  embarked  at 
this  port ;  but  the  weather  was  so  tempestuous  that,  before 
proceeding  far,  the  steamer  was  forced  to  turn  back  from 
the  Hyeres  islands,  and  put  into  the  port  of  Toulon.    Before 


MALTA.  241 

the  storm  had  fully  subsided,  it  resumed  its  course,  and,  fol- 
lowing the  coast,  at  length  reached  Leghorn.  "  This,"  re- 
marks Dr.  Baird,  "  is  an  important  point  from  which  the 
truth  may  i-adiate  into  Italy  ;  and  there  are  some  excellent 
Protestants,  English  and  others,  who  are  disposed  to  aid 
the  good  work.  Leghorn  is  fourteen  miles  southwest  from 
Pisa,  which  was  once  an  important  city  among  the  twelve 
Italian  republics.  The  spirit  of  fanaticism  has  at  length 
triumphed  in  Pisa,  and  Mademoiselle  Callandrini  (one  of 
the  founders  of  infants  schools  in  Italy)  has  been  forbidden 
to  return  to  that  place,  and  I  suppose  that  her  interesting 
school  has  been  broken  up."  The  next  day  the  steamer 
touched  at  Civita  Tecchia  :  "  Many  of  our  passengers  here 
left  us  to  go  up  to  Rome,  where  a  grand  ceremony  is  to 
take  place  on  Sunday  ;  namely,  the  new  Pope's  taking  pos- 
session of  the  Church  of  St.  John  de  Lateran.  This  is  his 
installation  as  bishop  of  the  citi/  of  Rome,  of  which  St.  Johii 
de  Lateran  is  considered  as  the  chief  church,  St.  Peter's 
being  regarded  as  the  chief  church,  or  cathedral,  of  the 
whole  Christian — i.  e.  Roman  Catholic — world.  A  proces- 
sion will  take  place,  starting  from  St.  Peter's  or  the  Vati- 
can, and  passing  by  the  Capitol,  the  Arch  of  Titus,  the  Co- 
liseum, etc.,  to  the  church  of  St.  John  de  Lateran.  There 
will  be  a  vast  concourse  of  people.  The  new  Pope  (Pius 
IX.)  is  exceedingly  popular  at  present." 

After  another  brief  pause  at  Xaples,  the  steamer  aban- 
doned the  Italian  coasts,  and  passing  to  the  left  of  Strom- 
boli  and  the  Lipari  Islands,  entered  the  straits  of  Messina, 
and,  after  a  few  hours'  sail  along  the  eastern  shore  of  Sicily, 
brought  its  passengers  to  the  harbor  of  Yaletta.  In  the 
few  hours  that  were  at  his  command.  Dr.  Baird  visited  the 
Cathedral  containing  monuments  of  the  most  distinguished 
grand-masters  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John,  and  the  Gover- 
nor's house  with  its  remarkable  armory.  Afterwards,  tak- 
ing a  guide,  he  rode  to  Citta  Vecchia,  situated  at  the  dis- 
16 


242  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

tauce  of  seven  or  eight  miles,  and  near  the  centre  of  tlie 
island,  from  the  roof  of  the  cathedral  of  which,  a  fine  view 
was  obtained  of  tlie  whole  of  ^lalta,  as  well  as  of  the  neigh- 
boring island  of  Gozo.  To  the  north,  the  shape  of  St.  Paul's 
bay,  where  the  apostle  is  supposed  to  have  been  shipwrecked, 
was  clearly  seen.  The  catacombs  were  next  explored,  and 
the  grotto  of  St.  Paul,  a  spot  of  reputed  miraculous  proper- 
ties. On  his  return  to  Yaletta,  Dr.  Baird  availed  himself 
of  a  little  remaining  time  to  call  upon  the  Rev.  Messrs. 
Bailey  and  Wilson,  missionaries  of  the  Free  Churcli  of 
Scotland,  and  learned  from  them  the  difficulties  under  which 
the  efforts  of  Protestant  Christians  in  behalf  of  the  truth 
are  prosecuted. 

The  weather  was  so  unpropitious  that  five  days  were  con- 
sumed in  the  sail  from  Malta  to  Piraeus.  Respecting  the 
fortnight  which  Dr.  Baird  spent  at  Athens,  and  of  whose 
incidents  his  letters  and  diary  are  so  full,  little  can  be  said 
here,  except  that  it  furnished  more  entertainment  than  he 
ever  experienced  in  the  same  number  of  days  in  any  other 
portion  of  his  travels.  All  the  ardor  he  had  felt  in  his  early 
classical  studies  was  rekindled  when  he  stood  before  the 
venerable  ruins  of  the  Acropolis,  or  gazed  at  the  glorious 
little  territory  which  has  held  in  history  a  place  so  dispro- 
portionate to  its  extent  or  population.  The  short  excursions 
that  he  made  to  the  battlefield  of  Marathon,  to  Corinth, 
and  to  the  Temple  of  Minerva  at  Sunium  were  fraught  with 
scarcely  less  interest.  Here,  too,  he  had  much  friendly  in- 
tercourse with  the  American  missionaries,  Rev.  Drs.  King 
and  Hill,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Buel.  The  former,  at  whose  hospit- 
able home  he  stayed,  had,  since  their  last  meeting,  three  years 
before  at  his  own  house  at  Geneva,  passed  through  a  season 
of  great  anxiety,  and  not  only  been  excommunicated  by  the 
"  Holy  Synod,"  but  had  also  been  exposed  to  a  judicial  prose- 
cution in  consequence  of  his  devoted  labors  for  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  Greeks.     Among  other  acquaintances  formed 


GREECE.  243 

at  Athens,  those  with  General  Sir  Richard  Church  and  with 
Sir  Edmund  Lyons,  at  that  time  British  Minister  at  the  court 
of  king  Otho,  were  remembered  afterwards  with  particular 
satisfaction.  Dr.  Baird  was  presented  to  the  Greek  mon- 
arch himself,  but  there  was  little  hope  of  accomplishing 
anything  of  value  for  the  cause  either  of  religion  or  of  hu- 
manity with  a  prince,  whom  he  characterizes  as  "  a  king 
who  is  headstrong  and  incapable,  a  perfect  Jesuit  from 
principle,  as  well  as  from  education,  who  is  bent  on  render- 
ing the  Constitution,  whose  adoption  he  opposed  until  the 
last  moment,  a  perfect  nullity." 

At  length  the  time  for  leaving  the  shores  of  Greece  came, 
and  he  reluctantly  started  once  more  for  Syr  a,  Smyrna  and 
Constantinople.  Of  the  city  of  Syra,  or  Hermoupolis,  his 
impressions  were  favorable.  "  The  people  are  industrious, 
civil,  and  cleanly  beyond  most  Greeks  in  their  houses  and 
persons.  I  was  surprised  to  see  so  many  vessels,  of  a  small 
size  for  the  most  part,  in  the  harbor.  It  is  certainly  the 
most  thriving,  as  it  is  the  most  commercial  to^v^^i  in  all 
Greece."  The  picturesque  position  of  the  place  particular- 
ly struck  him.  "  Viewed  from  the  harbor,  Syra  presents  a 
beautiful  aspect.  The  Old  Town,  perched  upon  a  height 
above  the  Lower,  adds  much  to  the  picture.  In  fact,  there 
is  a  vast  ravine  or  gap  in  the  mountain  immediately  in  the 
rear  of  the  city,  and  a  hill  sloping  down  to  the  very  confines 
of  the  city,  looks  like  a  fragment  detached  from  the  moun- 
tain. This  hill,  towards  Syra,  is  covered  with  houses  up  to 
the  summit  where  stands  the  cathedral.  This  is  the  Old  or 
Upper  Town,  and  is  even  now  almost  wholly  Eoman  Catho- 
lic." At  Syra  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Hildner  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  and  went  tlirough 
his  interesting  schools  ;  and  at  Smyrna  he  visited  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Riggs.  We  need  not  introduce  the  entertaining  de- 
scriptions which  Dr.  Baird  gives  of  this  city  and  of  his  first 
impressions  of  Asiatic  life,     "I  could  not  but  bless  God 


244 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DM.  BAIRD. 


that  I  was  permitted  to  set  my  foot  in  Asia,"  he  observes, 
"  and  in  a  city  where  apostles  had  preached  the  blessed 
Gospel,  and  where  existed  one  of  those  seven  churches  to 
which  the  Saviour  addressed  the  touching  messages  in  the 
second  and  third  chapters  of  the  book  of  Revelation.  And 
I  lifted  up  my  heart  to  God  in  prayer  that  the  glorious 
Gospel  may  be  again  made  known  not  only  here  but  in  all 
this  region." 

Besides  the  ordinary  localities  which  an  intelligent  travel- 
er would  desire  to  view  in  Smyrna,  he  went  in  company  with 
Mr.  Riggs  to  the  prison.  "  My  object  in  visiting  the  place 
was  to  see  Johanan  Vartabed,  a  converted  Armenian  Roman 
Catholic  monk,  whose  case  has  made  some  noise.  It  is  brief- 
ly this  :  Having  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  at 
Constantinople,  where  he  lived,  he  had  to  quit  the  place  to 
avoid  the  persecution  which  the  Patriarch  raised  against 
him.  Returning  after  a  time,  he  was  seized  and  put  on 
board  the  Austrian  steamer  Emjyress  (the  same  in  which  I 
came  to  this  place  from  Syra),  under  a  guard,  and  with  an 
Austrian  passport,  in  order  that  he  might  be  carried  to 
Trieste,  and  thence  to  Rome.  When  the  boat  came  to 
Smyrna,  he  contrived  to  elude  the  guard,  escaped  to  the 
city,  and  took  refuge  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Riggs.  Great 
consternation  arose  on  the  boat!  At  length  his  place  of 
concealment  was  discovered,  and  the  Austrian  Consul  de- 
mandeij  him  through  the  American  Consul.  Mr.  Riggs, 
however,  refused  to  give  him  up  except  to  TiirkisJi  authori- 
ties, inasmuch  as  the  Vartabed  was  not  an  Austrian,  but  a 
Turkish  subject,  and  referred  the  matter  to  the  American 
Minister  at  Constantinople.  The  latter  brought  the  case 
before  the  Turkish  Government,  which  was  greatly  sur- 
prised to  learn  what  had  been  done.  The  course  of  Mr. 
Riggs  was  approved,  and  the  Austrian  Ambassador  was 
overwhelmed  with  shame!  The  Vartabed  will  probably 
be  soon  set  at  liberty.     He  is  a  fme-looking  young  man, 


THE  ARMENIAN'  PA  TRIARCK  245 

vrlio  has  become  so  far  enlightened  that  he  sees  the  errors 
of  Rome  and  has  determined  to  renounce  them." 

At  Constantinople  besides  visiting  all  the  points  of  im- 
portance, he  met  frequently  the  American  missionaries,  and 
witnessed  some  of  the  results  of  the  great  religious  awaken- 
ing among  the  Armenians  which  had  then  but  recently 
commenced.  And  he  came  away  "  feeling  more  than  ever 
the  importance  of  promoting  spiritual  Christianity  in  Tur- 
key. If  anything  can  save  it  from  destruction,  it  will  be 
the  Gospel  of  Christ."  Dr.  Baird  had  a  good  opportunity 
of  seeing  the  Sultan  on  the  day  of  his  arrival.  The  Arme- 
nian Patriarch,  too  famous  as  a  persecutor  of  the  converts, 
was  the  only  one  of  the  numerous  ecclesiastical  dignitaries 
that  congregate  at  Constantinople,  to  whom  he  was  per- 
sonally presented.  The  subject  of  the  complaints  of  the 
prelate  against  the  cause  of  tlie  missionaries  was  not  alluded 
to  during  the  interview  ;  for  the  Patriarch  had  been  pre- 
viously notified  that  his  visitors  fully  approved  of  all  that 
the  missionaries  had  done.  "  We  were  conducted,"  he  writes, 
"  to  a  large  and  handsomely  furnished  room,  around  which 
ran  a  divan,  five  or  six  feet  in  width,  where  we  waited  for 
his  "  reverence."  In  due  time  he  entered,  and  we  were  in- 
troduced. As  soon  as  we  were  all  seated — we  according  to 
our  American  fashion,  and  the  Patriarch  and  the  dragomen 
in  oriental  style,  pipes  were  ordered.  After  this  coffee  was 
handed  round  in  small  cups.  The  conversation  related 
chiefly  to  the  United  States,  and  its  progress  in  railroads, 
newspapers,  education,  etc.,  etc.  I  endeavored  to  make  the 
Patriarch  understand  that  the  liberty  of  religious  worship, 
as  well  as  the  liberty  of  the  press,  was  one  of  the  causes  of 
the  prosperity  of  our  country.  This  was  as  near  as  we  came 
to  the  forbidden  subject.  His  reverence  inquired  whether 
we  knew  anything  of  Calcutta  !  And  we  had  to  tell  him 
that  the  city  in  question  is  not  in  America  but  in  India.  .  . 
I  scrutinized  his  countenance  as  thoroughly  as  I  could.     He 


246  LIFE  OF  hev.  dr.  bairb. 

is  certainly  a  fine-looking  man,  not  niucli  more  than  fifty 
years  of  age ;  with  large  and  piercing  black  eyes  and 
aquiline  nose.  Like  most  of  his  nation,  he  has  a  decidedly 
Jewish  look.  Take  him  all  in  all,  he  is  just  fit  to  do  the 
work  of  persecution,  of  which  he  was  guilty  towards  the 
Protestants  or  converted  Armenians,  some  months  ago,  and 
to  which  the  Tiu^kish  Government,  at  the  instance  of  the 
English  and  American  Ambassadors,  put  an  end,  greatly  to 
its  honor." 

On  the  10th  of  December,  Dr.  Baird  turned  his  face 
westward  and  homeward  once  more,  embarking  on  an  Aus- 
trian steamer  for  a  voyage  of  fifteen  hundred  miles  to 
Trieste.  The  vessel  stopped  at  Syra  and.  Corfu,  but  at 
neither  place  were  the  passengers  permitted  to  land,  on 
account  of  the  quarantine  regulations.  From  Trieste  he 
crossed  to  Yenice,  and  thence  continued  his  journey  by 
railway  and  "  diligence"  to  Milan.  An  incident  occurred 
here  which  well  illustrates  the  oft-repeated  observation  that 
the  passport  system  is  so  constructed  as  to  be  a  very  serious 
annoyance  to  travelers  of  peaceable  intentions,  but  is  really 
a  very  slight  impediment  in  the  way  of  those  who  are  dan- 
gerous to  the  government,  since  it  by  no  means  secures  the 
complete  identification  of  persons.  "  It  is  said,"  remarks 
Dr.  Baird,  "  that  there  is  no  place  in  Europe  wliere  so  much 
trouble  is  experienced  as  to  passports  as  at  Milan,  and  I 
verily  believe  it ;  for  it  required  an  hour  and  a  half  for  the 
proper  officers,  some  four  or  five  in  number,  to  examine  my 
passport,  with  its  fifty-six  visas^  and  write  down  in  the  books 
all  the  names  of  the  places  where,  and  the  authorities  by 
whom,  it  had  been  examined.  A  report  of  nearly  a  page 
and  a  half  was  made  upon  it,  as  I  saw  myself.  The  chief 
ofiicer  smiled  when  he  read  it,  and  said  that  Bignore  had 
traveled  much  !"  And  yet  after  all  this  trouble  the  Mi- 
lanese police  were  utterly  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the 
person  carrying  this  passport  had  ever  set  foot  in  Milan 


PAS8P0ET  REGULATIONS.  247 

before.  On  leaving  lie  chanced  to  mention  that  he  had 
been  in  that  city  nine  years  before  ;  the  officer  turned  to 
the  record  and  easily  verified  the  statement,  observing  that 
had  he  known  that  circumstance  at  first,  the  laborious  ex- 
amination and  transcribing  would  have  been  rendered 
unnecessary ! 

In  crossing  the  Alps,  Dr.  Baird,  on  inquiry,  selected 
the  pass  over  Mount  St.  Gothard  as  perhaps  the  most 
practicable  in  the  dead  of  winter.  Neither  the  ascent  nor 
the  descent  was  entirely  devoid  of  danger.  Both  were 
made  In  small  sleds  or  sleighs,  capable  of  holding  two  per- 
sons ;  and  that  which  carried  him  was  at  one  time  over- 
turned. But  the  travelers  reached  Lucerne  in  safety,  and 
Dr.  Baird  at  once  proceeded  to  Geneva.  After  a  few  days 
spent  here,  in  conference  with  the  American-Swiss  Com- 
mittee and  others,  he  pursued  his  journey  to  Lyons,  and 
thence,  by  the  valley  of  the  Loire,  through  Moulins  and 
Nevers  to  Orleans  and  Paris.  While  in  the  French  capital 
he  not  only  had  repeated  interviews  with  the  friends  of 
evangelical  truth  in  France,  but  also  called  on  M.  Guizot, 
whom  he  had  often  seen  in  former  years.  It  was  with  sad- 
ness that  he  saw  a  Protestant  whose  intellectual  abilities 
he  so  greatly  admired,  but  whose  compliance  with  the  will 
of  an  unprincipled  monarch  evinced  little  moral  strength. 
"  Another  Rosny  for  another  Henri  IV  !" 

On  the  22d  of  January,  1847,  Dr.  Baird  reached  London, 
where,  on  the  succeeding  Sabbath,  he  preached  for  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Steane  on  the  "  state  and  prospects  of  Evangelical 
Religion  in  Europe."  The  same  subject  he  discussed  more 
fully  at  a  public  meeting  in  Exeter  Hall,  at  which  Mr. 
Strachan  presided.  At  the  conclusion  some  very  kind 
resolutions  were  passed."^     It  was  a  meeting  of  deep  in- 

*The  following  are  the  resolutions  referred  to : 

I.   "  That  this  meeting  have  heard  with  feelings  of  deep  interest  the 


248  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

terest,  and  of  very  salutary  influence.  Tlie  Hon.  Arthur 
Kinnaird,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Leifchild,  and  others,  made  addresses 
before  its  conclusion,  and  the  venerable  Dr.  Bunting  offered 
the  final  prayer. 

While  at  London  Dr.  Baird  took  occasion  to  confer  freely 
with  many  of  the  gentlemen  connected  with  tlie  principal 
missionary  organizations,  and  urged  upon  them  the  neces- 
sity of  doing  more  than  had  as  yet  been  attempted  to  spread 
the  truth  in  Ro'^ian  Catholic  Europe,  especially  in  France. 
After  a  brief  visit  to  Oxford  and  Cambridge,  he  passed  into 
Scotland,  and  spent  a  few  days  at  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow, 
chiefly  endeavoring  to  excite  a  more  lively  interest  in  the 
religious  welfare  of  the  continent.  At  Edinburgh  he  ad- 
dressed a  meeting  of  the  professors  and  students  of  the  new 
college  of  the  Free  Church  on  this  topic.  Here,  too,  he 
saw  for  the  last  time  his  great  and  good  friend,  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Chalmers,  D.D. 

On  the  4th  of  February  he  embarked  at  Liverpool  for 
the  United  States,  and  on  the  23d  of  the  same  month,  after 
a  pleasant  passage,  reached  his  home  at  New  York. 

Some  sentences  from  the  closing  remarks  of  a  very  full 
diary,  which  he  wrote  during  this  journey,  may  be  of 
interest.  "  I  have  thus  completed  a  long  tour  in  Europe — 
the  longest  I  have  ever  made.  The  Lord  be  praised  for  all 
His  mercies  to  me  !     I  have  crossed  the  Atlantic  ten  times, 

statements  now  laid  before  them  in  relation  to  the  condition  and  prospects 
of  Evangelical  Religion  on  the  Continent  of  Europe  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Baird, 
and  beg  him  to  accept  their  grateful  acknowledgments  for  calling  them 
together  to  listen  to  them  ;  giving  him  at  the  same  time  the  assurance  of 
their  Christian  friendship,  and  of  their  earnest  prayers,  both  for  himself 
and  for  the  objects  which  so  deeply  interest  his  heart. 

IT.  "  That  this  meeting  would  also  express  the  conviction  produced  in 
their  minds  by  Dr.  Baird's  valuable  communications,  of  the  great  import- 
ance of  such  evangelical  researches  as  those  in  which  he  has  been  engaged, 
being  continued,  as  well  as  of  evangelical  labors  generally  being  largely 
increased  amongst  the  nations  of  the  continent." 


A  REVIEW.  2^g 

and  made  as  many  as  tliirty  voyages  on  other  seas  ;  and 
although  I  have  seen  some  very  severe  weather,  I  have  suf- 
fered no  shipwrecks,  nor,  save  once  or  twice,  been  in  what 
may  be  called  imminent  danger  at  sea.  My  late  journey 
took  me  into  almost  all  parts  of  Europe,  and  exceeded 
eighteen  thousand  miles.  In  reviewing  all  this  extensive 
travel,  I  cannot  but  believe  that  I  was  in  the  path  of  duty. 
I  did  not  go  without  having  before  me  certain  definite 
objects  to  be  accomplished  ;  and  I  think  the  results  will 
not  disappoint  my  hopes.  I  have  been  enabled  to  give 
some  further  impulse  to  the  Temperance  cause  in  the  north 
of  Europe,  as  well  as  to  the  other  enterprises  of  benevo- 
lence in  that  quarter.  And  I  have  gained  much  knowledge 
of  the  state  of  things  in  the  southern  countries  of  Europe — 
Portugal,  Spain,  Malta,  Greece,  and  Turkey.  I  have  seen 
much  that  I  had  long  wanted  to  see  ;  and  I  feel  assured 
that  if  my  life  be  spared  a  few  years,  and  God  grant  His 
blessing,  I  shall  be  enabled  to  turn  all  the  knowledge  I 
have  thus  acquired  to  a  good  account."  Alluding  to  the 
prospective  publication  of  his  "  Religion  in  America,"  in 
the  Swedish,  Modern  Greek,  and  Armenian  languages,  and 
perhaps  in  Danish,  Italian,  and  Hungarian — all  in  an 
abridged  form,  he  adds  :  "  This  will  be,  with  the  blessing 
of  God,  a  great  matter  for  the  promotion  of  right  views  in 
regard  to  religious  liberty.  It  will  also  make  the  religious 
economy  of  the  United  States  better  known  in  Europe  than 
it  now  is — a  result  greatly  to  be  desired.  I  was  much 
cheered  by  the  remark  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  H ,  of  Con- 
stantinople, who  has  read  that  work  with  care,  '  that  if  I 
had  never  done  anything  but  write  that  book,  it  would 
have  been  enough  to  justify  the  Society  in  all  its  expendi- 
tures in  support  of  its  author  in  Europe.' "  For  his  course 
of  lectures  in  Europe,  he  regarded  tliis  tour,  made  solely  at 
his  own  expense,  very  important ;  but  above  all  for  the 
work  on  the  "  Religious  State  of  Europe,  and  the  Progress 


250 


LIFE  OF  REV.  BE.  BAIED. 


of  the  Kingdom  of  God  there,"  which  he  intended  ulti- 
mately to  write,  and  which  he  considered  one  of  tlie  prin- 
cipal objects  of  his  labors.  "  Of  this  I  wish  never  for  a 
moment  to  lose  sieht.  I  think  that  I  owe  it  to  the  world, 
to  endeavor  to  give  some  account  of  the  state  and  pros- 
pects of  Evangelical  religion  in  the  countries  which  I  have 
had  so  many  and  so  favorable  opportunities  to  see  and  to 
know.  But  when  shall  I  find  the  time  in  which  to  do  all 
this  ?  This  is  indeed  a  difficulty  ;  but  perhaps  God  will 
grant  me  the  leisure  which  may  be  needed." 

"  It  gives  me  great  happiness,"  he  remarks,  in  conclusion, 
"  to  think  that  there  is  scarcely  a  city  in  Europe  of  much 
importance  in  which  I  do  not  know  some  dear  Christians, 
whom  I  love,  and  for  whom  I  delight  to  pray.  0,  the 
blessedness  of  Christian  communion — the  communion  of 
saints !  May  God  bless  His  dear  children  in  all  parts  of 
the  Old  World,' rapidly  augment  their  number,  smile  upon 
their  efforts  to  build  up  His  kingdom,  and  fill  the  world 
with  His  glory  and  His  great  salvation !     Amen !  " 


CHAPTEE  XXII. 

HE  IS  ELECTED  PRESIDENT  OF  JEFFERSON  COLLEGE,  AND 
AFTERWARDS  OF  WASHINGTON  COLLEGE,  PENNSYLYANIA. 
FORMATION  OF  THE  AMERICAN  AND  FOREIGN  CHRISTIAN 
UNION.  LITERARY  LABORS.  TISIT  TO  EUROPE  IN  1851. 
THE   PEACE   CONGRESS.      TOUR  IN   IRELAND. 

1847—1851. 

IN  tlie  summer  of  the  year  1847,  a  few  months  after  Dr. 
Baird's  return  from  his  long  tour  in  Europe,  the  presi- 
dency of  Jefferson  College,  the  institution  from  which  he 
had  graduated  nearly  thirty  years  previously,  and  for 
which  he  had  always  entertained  feelings  of  the  warmest 
affection,  became  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  the  Rev. 
Robert  J.  Breckinridge,  D.D.  On  the  8th  of  June  1847, 
the  Board  of  Trustees  elected  Dr.  Baird  his  successor. 
Tliere  was  a  general  desire  among  the  friends  of  the  insti- 
tution that  he  should  accept  the  appointment.  They  be- 
lieved that  owing  to  his  ripe  scholarship,  large  acquaint- 
ance with  methods  of  instruction  at  home  and  abroad,  and 
the  wide  circle  in  which  his  name  and  labors  were  as 
familiar  as  "  household  words,"  he  would  add  strength  to 
this  already  flourishing  college. 

On  receiving  intimation  of  his  election  by  a  unanimous 
vote  of  the  Board,  he  took  the  subject  for  some  weeks  into 
serious  and  prayerful  consideration  ;  and  it  was  with  great 
reluctance  that  he  finally  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  decline.    He  felt,  it  is  true,  no  slight  inclination 

(251J 


252  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

to  resign  his  present  post,  whicli  seemed  of  necessity  to 
involve  frequent  and  protracted  absences  from  his  family  ; 
•  and  it  had  long  been  his  hope  that  he  might  spend  the  last 
years  of  his  life  in  the  congenial  labor  of  instruction,  to 
vrliich  much  of  his  youth  had  been  devoted.  But  the 
interests  of  the  Foreign  Evangelical  Society  imperatively 
required  his  continued  presence.  Xo  man  on  this  side  of 
the  Atlantic  was  so  familiar  with  the  spiritual  wants  of  the 
European  Continent,  the  most  promising  fields  of  labor,  and 
the  methods  which  experience  had  shown  to  be  the  most 
likely  to  prove  effective.  Not  a  society  for  evangelization 
existed  in  Europe  with  whose  history  and  operations  he  was 
not  thoroughly  familiar.  With  all  the  individuals  pro- 
minent in  benevolent  enterprises  he  had  an  acquaintance, 
in  most  cases  personal  and  intimate.  No  other  American 
could  be  expected  to  be  able  at  once  to  step  advantageously 
into  this  position.  Equally  difficult  was  it  for  any  one  else 
to  gain  the  confidence  of  the  Christian  community  to  such 
a  degree  as  that  in  which  Dr.  Baird  possessed  it.  His 
well-known  catholicity  was  a  guarantee  that  the  laboi^  in 
which  he  was  engaged  would  not  degenerate  into  a  sec- 
tarian enterprise  ;  his  warm  piety  was  the  pledge  of  their 
being  prosecuted  for  the  sole  advancement  of  the  glory  of 
God  ;  his  eminent  common  sense  secured  an  exemption  from 
anything  approaching  excess  or  fanaticism.  Convinced 
that  the  cause  of  the  evangelization  of  nominally  Christian 
lands  had  not  yet  assumed  a  secure  and  well-deserved 
position  in  the  affection  and  confidence  of  the  Christians  of 
America,  Dr.  Baird  felt  compelled  to  decline  an  honor 
which  he  highly  appreciated.  A  few  years  later,  he  was 
equally  unable  to  accept  a  similar  invitation  coming  from 
the  neighboring  institution,  Washington  College,  Pennsyl- 
vania, at  which,  it  will  be  remembered,  a  part  of  his  studies 
had  been  pursued.  xVnd  again,  at  a  subsequent  period,  a 
number  of  the  trustees  of  Miami  University,  Ohio,  were 


FORMATIOX  OF  THE  CHEISTIAX  UXION. 


253 


desirous  of  tendering  to  liim  the  presidency  of  that  Univer- 
sity ;  but  similar  reasons  to  those  which  had  previously 
influenced  him,  prevented  his  offering  them  any  encourage- 
ment. The  Providence  of  God  had  made  it  evident  that 
the  true  field  of  his  exertions  was  to  be  no  contracted  one, 
but  to  comprise  the  spiritual  interests  of  a  great  part  of 
Christendom. 

In  the  year  1849  an  important  charge  was  effected  in  the 
society  of  which  Dr.  Baird  was  one  of  the  principal  founders, 
and  with  which  he  had  been  connected  during  the  ten  years 
of  its  existence,  as  well  as  with  the  French  Association  and 
the  Foreign  Evangelical  Association,  from  which  it  had 
sprung.  An  impression  was  widely  prevalent  that  there 
existed  too  many  organizations,  having  as  their  object  the 
evangelization  of  the  Roman  Catholic  portion  of  the  Chris- 
tian world.  Besides  the  Foreign  Evangelical  Society,  labor- 
ing chiefly  in  France,  Belgium,  Canada,  and  South  America, 
the  American  Protestant  Society  directed  its  efforts  exclu- 
sively towards  the  Roman  Catholics  at  home,  and  the 
Christian  Alliance  had  recently  been  formed  for  the  special 
purpose  of  reaching  Italy,  at  that  time  carefully  closed  to 
any  openly  proclaimed  Protestant  effort.  The  attention  of 
the  Christian  public  was  distracted,  and  the  majority  of 
churches  were  unable  to  find  a  place  for  all  these  associa- 
tions among  the  benevolent  causes  for  which  an  appeal  was 
yearly  made.  In  a  spirit  of  cordial  friendship,  a  fusion  of  | 
these  societies  was  resolved  upon,  and  speedily  consummated. 
The  combined  society,  having  as  its  field  all  Christian  lands, 
took  the  name  of  "  the  American  aiul  Foreign  Christian  ' 
UnionJ^  Dr.  Baird  was  appointed  corresponding  secretary, 
with  the  Rev.  Herman  Norton  of  the  Protestant  Society  as 
his  colleague.  Essentially  his  work  remained  unchan2:ed, 
although  his  attention  was  also  more  or  less  directed  to  the 
domestic  field. 

In  the  spring  of  the  same  year  Dr.  Baird  removed  his 


254  LTFE  OF  REV.  DB.  BAIRD. 

residence  from  the  city  of  New  York,  which  had  been 
the  home  of  liis  family  for  over  five  years,  to  the  neigh- 
boring village  of  Yonkers,  on  the  banks  of  the  Hud- 
son. 

In  the  service  of  the  American  and  Foreign  Christian 
Union,  Dr.  Baird  traveled  no  less  extensively  througliout 
the  United  States  than  he  had  formerly  done,  when  con- 
nected with  the  Foreign  Evangelic^il  Society.  From  Maine 
to  Louisiana  there  was  not  a  State  which  he  had  not 
occasion  to  visit  repeatedly,  in  order  to  present  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Roman  Catholic  world  to  the  churches  of  all  the 
chief  cities.  Many  persons  have  borne  witness  to  the  emo- 
tions of  lively  pleasure  with  which  they  heard  him  in  pub- 
lic and  in  private  during  these  protracted  tours.  With  a 
heart  full  of  the  work  in  which  he  was  engaged,  it  is  certain 
that  he  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  diffusion  of  sound 
and  intelligent  views  respecting  European  affairs,  especially 
those  of  a  religious  nature.  Everywhere,  the  extent  and 
accui^acy  of  his  information  and  the  wonderful  stores  of  his 
memory  were  a  subject  of  astonishment ;  while  his  readiness 
to  coDimunicate  freely  tlie  results  of  his  own  observations 
to  any  one  that  seemed  really  desirous  of  learning  the 
truth  rendered  him  a  great  favorite  in  the  family  circle.^ 
Indeed,  no  traits  were  more  characteristic  of  Dr.  Baird, 
than,  on  the  one  hand,  the  facility  with  which  he  gathered 
accurate  information,  in  the  midst  of  the  most  engrossing 
pursuits,  and  on  railway  car  or  steamboat ;  and  on  the 
other,  his  earnest  desire  to  remove  ignorance  and  prejudice, 
even  when  gross  and  apparently  inexcusable.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  that  the  courses  of  lectures  on  Europe  which  he 
had  begun  in  1845  to  deliver  from  time  to  time,  were  of 
great  utility,  not  only  in  general,  by  making  known  facts 
which  a  large  portion  of  the  public  would  scarcely  have 
been  expected  to  learn  in  any  other  way,  but  also  more  par- 
ticularly by  promoting  an  interest  in  the  Continent,  and 


AG  Am  SIAIL8  FOB  EUROPE. 


^SS 


thus  directly  furthering  the  ends  of  the  Society  with  which 
he  was  connected. 

In  the  interval  between  his  return  from  Europe  in  1847, 
and  his  next  visit  in  1851,  Dr.  Baird's  literary  labors  were 
chiefly  confined  to  occasional  contributions  to  the  religious 
and  secular  papers,  the  greater  part  relating  to  the  reli- 
gious and  political  state  of  Europe,  and  some  of  them  contain- 
ing predictions  which  were  strikingly  verified  in  the  revo- 
lutions of  1848  and  in  the  events  of  subsequent  years.  In 
addition  to  his  other  arduous  cares,  he  assumed  the  edito- 
rial supervision  of  a  valuable  monthly  publication — "  the 
Christian  Union,"  the  organ  of  the  American  branch  of 
the  Evangelical  Alliance ;  but  the  principal  portion  of 
these  editorial  labors  devolved  upon  his  son,  the  Rev. 
Charles  W.  Baird,  who  also,  in  conjunction  with  the  Rev. 
Benjamin  N.  Martin,  D.D.,  now  professor  in  the  University 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  wrote  the  greater  part  of  the 
"  Christian  Retrospect  and  Register"  (New  York,  1851) — a 
volume  devoted  to  a  review  of  the  world's  progress  in  the 
first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century,  which  was  issued  under 
Dr.  Baird's  auspices. 

On  the  5th  of  July,  1851,  Dr.  Baird  again  embarked  at 
New  York  for  Liverpool.  Among  his  objects,  the  most 
prominent  was  to  visit  Ireland  and  examine  the  work  which 
the  American  and  Foreign  Christian  Union  had  undertaken 
in  that  country,  since  the  recent  mission  of  the  Rev.  Alex. 
King,  of  Dublin,  to  the  American  Churches.  He  had  also 
been  appointed  a  delegate  both  to  the  Peace  Convention 
and  to  the  Conference  of  the  British  Branch  of  the  Evan- 
o^elical  Alliance,  both  of  which  were  to  be  held  in  London — 
the  former  towards  the  end  of  July,  and  the  latter  nearly  a 
month  later.  After  a  brief  and  pleasant  passage,  he 
reached  Li^ierpool  on  the  15th  of  July,  whence  he  crossed 
over  to  Dublin,  to  have  a  brief  interview  with  the  Rev.  Mr. 
King.     Returning  to  Liverpool,  he  went  to  London,  where 


256  LIFE  OF  BEY.  DR.  BAIRD. 

he  remained  several  days  in  attendance  upon  the  World's 
"  Peace  Congress."  In  the  proceedings  he  took  no  active 
part,  contenting  himself  with  listening  to  the  excellent 
speeches  of  Richard  Cobdcn,  Samuel  Gurney.  Mr.  Gilpin, 
and  others.  One  evening,  at  the  house  of  the  Hon. 
Arthur  Kiunaird,  he  was  present  at  a  conference  of 
prominent  friends  of  religion  in  Europe,  at  which  the  pros- 
pects of  Italy  were  made  the  principal  topic.  "  This 
scene,"  he  writes,  "  was  more  interesting  to  me,  by  far, 
than  anything  I  saw  or  heard  in  the  Peace  Congress — 
although  I  am  not  without  hopes  that  that  meeting  will  do 
some  good."  "  In  this  congress,"  he  elsewhere  writes, 
"  our  United  States  had  but  little  to  do.  Dr.  Beckwith 
spoke  the  first  day,  and  Mr.  Burritt  the  last ;  that  was  all. 
The  English  and  French  had  the  ground  to  themselves.  A 
few  Germans,  Italians,  and  Spaniards,  also  took  part  in  the 
proceedings.  This  was  well.  The  nations  of  Europe  have 
far  more  need  of  such  '  Congresses'  than  we.  I  am  greatly 
mistaken  if  they  will  not  require  all  the  influence  which 
can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  them  by  man,  to  maintain 
peace  during  the  next  year  or  two.  The  horizon  is  far 
from  being  clear  in  that  direction  at  present.  Who  can 
tell  what  a  few  months  will  bring  forth  in  France  and 
Italy  ?     But '  the  Lord  reigneth  ;  let  the  earth  rejoice  !' " 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  meetings  of  the  Peace  Con- 
gress, he  went  northward  to  Edinburgh,  and  thence  by 
Stirling  and  Perth  to  Aberdeen.  At  the  last-named  place 
he  made  the  acquaintance,  among  others,  of  the  Rev.  Sir 
Henry  Dunbar,  an  English  Episcopal  minister,  who,  preach- 
ing to  a  church  composed  chiefly  of  persons  from  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  realm,  had  thrown  off  the  yoke  of  the 
Scottish  Episcopal,  Xon- Juror,  or  Jacobite  bishops.  From 
him  he  obtained  many  interesting  facts  respecting  this 
singular  communion.  Sir  Henry  had  himself  been  excom- 
municated by  a  prelate,  who  styled  himself  Bishop  of  Aber- 


VISIT  TO  lEEIAXD. 


257 


deen,  because  he  had  placed  himself  under  the  supervision 
of  the  Bishop  of  London,  but  had  been  so  successful  in  a 
seven-years'  suit,  which  had  been  carried  from  court  to 
court  until  its  final  adjudication  in  the  House  of  Lords, 
that,  a  few  weeks  before  Dr.  Baird's  visit,  the  bishop  had 
been  glad  to  let  the  matter  drop  on  the  payment  of  some 
XI, 450  to  indemnify  Sir  Henry  for  his  expenses. 

From  Aberdeen  he  returned  to  Stirling  and  thence  went 
to  Glasgov\\  He  spent  part  of  two  days  in  making  a  flying 
visit  to  Lochs  Katrine  and  Lomond.  Then  taking  a 
steamer,  he  crossed  the  Xorth  Irish  Channel  to  Belfast, 
where  he  met  the  Rev.  Alexander  King,  with  whom  he  had 
agreed  to  make  a  tour  of  Ireland,  for  the  double  purpose 
of  examinino-  into  the  workino:  of  the  schools  recentlv  insti- 
tuted,  especially  in  Connaught.  and  of  making  the  state  of 
reliofion  in  America  and  on  the  Continent  better  known  to 
the  Protestant  congregations  whom  it  might  be  his  lot  to 
address.  This  tour  was  extensive  and  fraught  with  great 
interest.  On  the  way  to  Londonderry,  Dr.  Baird  diverged 
from  the  direct  route  in  order  to  see  the  famous  Giant's 
Causeway.  The  important  toAvns  of  Donegal,  Sligo,  Bal- 
lina,  Gal  way.  Limerick  and  Cork,  with  many  intermediate 
villages,  were  successively  visited,  and  at  most  of  them 
public  meetings  were  held,  before  which  Dr.  Baird,  Mr. 
King,  and  members  of  the  local  clergy,  made  more  or  less 
extended  speeches.  The  inspection  of  the  schools  convinced 
him  more  than  ever  of  the  great  usefulness  of  this  instru- 
mentality for  the  promotion  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Gospel 
in  Ireland  ;  and  he  was  particularly  impressed  with  the 
noble  self-sacrifice  of  the  teachers,  for  the  most  part 
women — who,  in  order  to  sustain  this  noble  enterprise, 
were  content  to  struggle  on  with  the  bare  pittance  which 
could  be  afforded  them. 

The  romantic  scenery  of  the  lakes  of  Killarney  and  tlie 
gigantic  telescope  of  Lord  Rosse,  at  Birr  or  Parsonstown, 
17 


258  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIIW. 

led  him  to  deviate  from  the  most  direct  route,  and  amply 
recompensed  him  for  the  hours  spent  in  the  excursions. 

Having  accomplished  all  tlie  objects  of  his  trip  to  Ire- 
land, he  returned  to  England,  and  reached  London  on  tlie 
20th  of  August,  in  time  for  the  opening  of  the  sessions  of 
the  Evangelical  Alliance. 


CHAPTEE  XXm. 

SPEECHES  BEFORE  THE  CONFEEEXCE  OP  THE  EVANGELICAL 
ALLIANCE  AT  LONDON.  THE  ALLIANCE  IN  AMERICA.  REA- 
SONS OF  ITS  FAILURE.  DISCOURTEOUS  TESTS.  INTRODUC- 
TION OF  THE  QUESTION  OF  AMERICAN  SLAVERY.  DAN- 
GERS WHICH  THREATEN  BOTH  ENGLAND  AND  AMERICA. 
INCREASING  DISTRUST  AND  HOSTILITY.  RELIGIOUS  STA- 
TISTICS  OF   THE   UNITED   STATES. 

1851. 

IN  the  sessions  of  the  conference  of  the  British  Evangel- 
ical Alliance,  which  was  held  at  London  in  August  and 
September,  1851,  Dr.  Baird  was  compelled  to  take  a  more 
active  part  than  at  the  meeting  of  184G,  when  he  had  been 
content  to  leave  the  field  of  discussion  chiefly  to  others.  Al- 
though he  was  almost  the  only  delegate  from  the  American 
branch  of  the  Alliance  and  from  the  American  churches,  and 
therefore  naturally  called  upon  to  report  upon  the  spiritual 
condition  and  prospects  of  his  native  country ;  he  could  not 
but  recognize  the  propriety  of  also  answering  in  a  public 
manner  the  inquiries  so  frequently  addressed  to  him  by 
individuals  respecting  the  reason  of  the  comparatively  small 
number  of  brethren  present  from  beyond  the  Atlantic.  It 
was  not  without  prayerful  consideration  of  his  duty  that  iie 
addressed  himself  to  the  preparation  of  two  speeches  to 
elucidate  these  very  different  subjects.  For,  if  he  was 
aware  that  in  the  one  he  could  bring  forward  facts  that 
could  not  fail  to  interest  and  warm  the  truly  Cliristian 

C259, 


26o  LIFE  OF  REY.  DR.  BAIRD. 

heart,  as  they  signalized  a  great  advance  of  the  kingdom  of 
Christ  on  tins  western  continent ;  he  was  equally  certain 
that  he  would  be  unable  to  give  a  faithful  account  of  the 
causes  of  the  decline  of  interest  in  the  American  Alliance, 
without  saying  much  that  might  conflict  with  the  prejudice^" 
of  a  large  proportion  of  his  auditors.  To  condemn  the 
action  of  the  very  body  before  which  he  spoke,  and  even 
the  common  sentiment  of  the  community,  would  naturally 
awaken  impatience  and  perhaps  displeasure.  And  yet  the 
cause  of  truth  seemed  to  call  imperatively  for  an  exhibition 
of  the  effects  which  had  flowed  from  the  ill-advised  action 
of  the  previous  conference. 

The  few  weeks  that  had  elapsed  since  his  arrival  in  Eu- 
rope had  been  altogether  taken  up  with  his  visit  to  Ireland 
and  to  important  points  in  Great  Britain.  It  was,  therefore, 
neccssar}'  for  him  to  employ  in  writing  a  few  hours  taken 
fiTjm  those  ordinarily  given  to  rest,  after  a  fatiguing  day 
spent  at  Free  Masons'  Hall,  or  an  evening  at  Exeter  Hall. 
The  writer,  who  was  with  him  at  this  time,  well  remembers 
the  diligence  with  which  he  wrote,  even  far  into  the  night, 
in  his  rooms  in  Northumberland  court.  And  the  recollec- 
tion of  that  iEtelligent  and  anxious  expression  of  counte- 
nance, marking  the  intensity  of  the  sense  of  responsibility 
which  he  felt  to  be  resting  upon  him,  will  not  easily  be 
effaced  from  his  memory. 

On  the  22d  of  August  Dr.  Baird  delivered  an  address  be- 
fore the  British  Evangelical  Alliance,  at  its  morning  session 
in  Free  Masons'  Hall,  "  on  the  History,  Present  State  and 
Prospects  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  Cause  in  the  United 
States.""  He  began  by  saying  :  "  I  know  not  that  I  ever 
undertook  a  sadder  task  than  that  of  making  the  present 

*  This  speech  attracted  so  much  attention  in  Europe,  and  was  read  with 
so  much  interest  in  this  country  when  it  found  its  way  into  the  American 
papers,  that  we  have  thought  it  proper  to  reproduce  all  the  most  important 
passages. 


THE  A  LLIAXCE  IX  A MEEICA.  1 6  \ 

address,  for  it  must  contain  some  things  which  will  be  heard 
witli  pain  by  all  upon  whose  ears  it  will  fall.  It  can  afflict 
none,  however,  more  than  him  who  makes  it.  It  is,  perhaps, 
right  that  this  duty  should  be  performed  by  me  ;  in  some 
respects  there  is  a  special  propriety  in  my  undertaking  it. 
In  addition  to  the  fact,  that  though  an  American,  I  sustain 
a  peculiar  relation  to  this  assembly — for  in  my  veins  flows 
the  blood  of  Scotchmen,  Irishmen,  Welshmen,  Englishmen 
and  Germans — I  have  resided  so  much  in  Europe,  labored 
so  much  for  the  cause  and  kingdom  of  Christ  in  almost  all 
parts  of  it,  that  without  losing  an  interest  in  my  own  coun- 
try, I  feel  a  very  deep  one  in  all  those  lands  which  are  rep- 
resented in  this  meeting.  If  any  tiling,  therefore,  which 
will  cause  sorrow,  must  be  said  about  America,  it  may  be 
fitting  for  me  to  say  it." 

He  next  proceeded  to  give  some  account  of  the  formation 
of  an  American  Branch  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  by , 
those  brethen  who  had  attended  the  meetings  at  London  in 
1846,  and  other  gentlemen  entertaining  the  same  enlarged 
views.  He  referred  to  the  succession  of  gatherings  for  this 
purpose  in  New  York,  and  to  the  periodical  which,  under 
the  title  of  the  '''  Christian  Union,"  he  had  himself  edited. 
"  It  must  be  confessed,  however,"  he  proceeded  to  say,  "  that 
though  the  Alliance  movement  has  done  some  good — even 
great  good — in  America,  enough  and  far  more  than  enough 
to  justify  all  the  trouble  and  expense  wliich  it  has  occa- 
sioned— including  that  of  the  visit  of  so  many  brethren  to 
London  in  1846 — yet  it  has  been,  in  a  great  degree,  2i  failure. 
It  has  accomplished  but  little  in  comparison  with  what  was 
fondly  hoped  when  it  was  projected,  and  little  in  comparison 
with  what  it  would  have  done,  if  it  had  had  a  fair  chance." 
What  was  the  cause  of  this  admitted  failure  ?  The  brethren 
from  America  who  attended  the  conference  of  1846  at  Lon- 
don, and  among  whom  were  some  of  the  first,  if  they  were  not 
the  very  first,  to  propose  the  movement,  returned  home  with 


262  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

heavy  liearts.  They  had  supposed  that  the  enterprise  in 
whidi  they  had  been  invited  to  cooperate  was  intended  to 
set  forth  a  brief  statement  of  doctrine  in  which  all  evangel- 
ical Protestants  could  agree ;  to  collect  and  diffuse  valu- 
able religious  information  ;  "  to  promote  the  communion 
and  fellowship  of  saints,  by  making  Christians  better  ac- 
quainted with  each  other's  faith,  character  and  trials  ;"  and 
to  unite  all  true  Protestants  in  opposition  to  the  fresh  as- 
saults of  Roman  Catholicism.  They  had  expected  that  a 
spirit  of  mutual  forbearance  would  lead  them  to  overlook 
minor  differences  and  evils,  which,  it  was  hoped,  would  in 
time  be  removed  by  the  proper  ecclesiastical  organizations. 
For  instance,  they  did  not  apprehend  that  "  the  wine-drink- 
ing and  brandy-drinking  habits  which  prevailed  among 
Christians,  and  even  ministers  of  the  Gospel  in  some  coun- 
tries," or  the  union  of  Church  and  State  which  bretliren  in 
England,  Germany  and  other  countries  held  to  be  both 
Scriptural  and  useful,  but  which  they  believed  in  their  inmost 
soul  "  to  be  the  greatest  curse  that  has  ever  befallen  Chris- 
tianity," "having  done  more,  a  thousand-fold  more,  for 
fifteen  centuries  to  corrupt  sound  doctrine,  to  blend  the 
world  and  the  Church,  to  subvert  the  rights  of  conscience 
and  of  religious  worship — and  in  a  word  to  prevent  men 
frcfm  entering  into  heaven — than  all  the  slavery  that  has 
ever  existed,"  would  hinder  the  cordial  union  of  true  Chris- 
tians, whatever  their  views  might  be  on  these  important 
subjects. 

But  the  American  brethren  had  been  disappointed.  The 
resolution  adopted  by  a  preliminary  meeting  of  their  British 
brethren  gave  warning  of  difficulty.  The  test  proposed  for 
membership  was  felt  to  be  not  very  courteous.  Both  of 
these  might  have  been  overlooked,  but  for  the  result  of  the 
long  and  painful  discussion  in  the  great  conference  itself. 
"  The  American  brethren  returned  to  their  country,  as  I 
have  said,  with  a  heavy  heart.     That  happened  whicii  they 


MUTUAL  FORBEARANCE,  263 

had  feared  ;  it  was  impossible  to  make  the  movement  suc- 
cessful among  us.  Very  few  even  of  tliose  who  at  first  had 
been  decidedly  favorable,  would  take  any  part  in  it.  Other 
causes,  I  know,  existed,  which  hindered,  but  this  was  the 
most  fatal,  as  it  was  by  far  the  most  insurmountable.  The 
restriction  was  felt  to  be  unjust,  inasmuch  as  it  was  certain 
to  operate  cruelly  upon  many  of  the  very  persons  in  the 
slaveholding  States  who  most  need,  as  they  most  deserve, 
the  sympathy  and  the  succor  which  Christian  union  can 
give.  For  whilst  there  are  forms  of  this  great  evil  which 
no  man,  at  least  none  that  has  the  light  that  we  have,  or 
think  we  have,  can  hesitate  to  pronounce  to  be  sinful,  in 
such  a  sense  as  to  be  utterly  inconsistent  with  true  religion, 
or  any  religion  which  requires  justice  to  our  fellowmen  ; 
as,  for  instance,  where  it  is  voluntary,  mercenary,  and  not 
from  the  fixed  purpose  of  securing  the  highest  good  to  the 
slave,  heartless  and  cruel — there  are  many  cases  where  the 
relation  is  far  otherwise,  from  the  state  of  the  laws,  from 
the  position  of  the  master,  or  the  age  and  condition  of  the 
slave.  All  this  was  felt,  because  understood,  by  many  of 
the  best  men  in  America,  and  they  stood  aloof  from  our 
Alliance." 

Beside,  there  was  an  appearance,  however  unintentional, 
of  foreign  dictation,  and  that  from  the  very  last  quarter 
from  which  it  would  be  brooked.  The  result  was  deplor- 
able. Not  that  such  an  alliance  was  so  necessary  as  in 
Europe ;  for  in  America  there  is  far  greater  harmony 
between  evangelical  churches.  "  No  state  church  over- 
shadows and  depresses  the  others,  for  none  has  i\iQ  prestige 
or  the  influence,  of  the  '  powers  that  be'  to  sustain  it.  We 
are  all  equal  in  this  respect,  and  know  nothing  of  the 
assumptions,  the  jealousies,  the  heart-burnings  which  exist 
in  some  other  countries. 

Deus  nobis  hcec  otia  fecit, 
And  to  Him  be  the  glory  and  the  praise !" 


264  LIFE  OF  BEV.  BR  BATED. 

■'  But  we  do  deplore  the  failure  on  another  account,  which 
concerns  many  of  those  who  hear  me  as  much  as  ourselves. 
We  deplore  it,  because  we  foresee  days  of  evil  ;  nor  are 
they  very  far  distant.  It  cannot  be  disguised  that  the  very 
attempt  which  we  have  made  to  bring  the  churches  of  Amer- 
ica and  of  Europe,  especially  those  of  Britain,  into  more 
friendly  and  fraternal  relations,  has  ended  in  putting  them 
further  asunder  !  You  have  been  told  that  it  would  lias  ten 
the  overthrow  of  the  dreadful  evil  among  us,  if  you  would 
put  13  out  of  the  pale  of  yc-ir  Christiaii  fellowship  ;  you 
have  been  told  what  amounts  to  this,  and  you  have  believed 
those  who  have  told  you  so,  notwithstanding  the  remon- 
strances and  the  tears  even,  of  brethren  who  are  worthy 
of  your  confidence,  from  their  characters,  their  antecedents, 
and  their  position.  You  have  preferred  to  believe  another 
class  of  witnesses.  As  to  the  questions  :  Who  they  are, 
and  what  they  are  ?  I  shall  say  nothing.  You  have  be- 
lieved them  ;  but  you  have  been  deceived.  You  might  have 
known  us  by  knowing  yourselves.  And  this  knowledge  would 
certainly  have  taught  you  that  very  much  that  has  been 
done,  and  still  more  what  has  been  said,  is  any  thing  else 
than  likely  to  accomplish  tliat  great  object.  Oh.  no  !  The 
language  of  taunt  and  of  ridicule  and  of  indiscriminate 
abuse  may  wound  the  hearts  of  Christian  men  among  us, 
who  love  their  country,  and  with  good  reason,  notwith- 
standing its  faults  :  but  it  will  be  hurled  back  with  un- 
measured scorn,  if  they  deign  to  notice  it,  by  more  than 
three  thousand  secular  presses.  '  Let  America  wash  out  of 
her  skirts  the  stain  of  slavery,  and  then  she  will  be  fit  to 
join  the  churches  of  Britain  in  their  noble  efforts  to  give 
the  Gospel  to  the  world.'  Such  was  the  language,  a  few 
vears  ago,  of  one  whom  we  have  greatly  loved  in  America, 
and  whom  we  would  love  more,  if  he  would  permit  us. 
Would  you  know  how  that  language  was  received  in  Amer- 
ica, by  the  overwhelming  majority  of  those  who  read  it? 


MUTUAL  REGEIMmATIOK  265 

Shall  I  tell  you  a  few  things  which  were  said  ?  Here  you 
have  a  specimen  :  '  Indeed  !  And  is  England  immaculate  ? 
How  long  is  it  since  she  washed  out  the  deep  sin  of  slave- 
holding  and  slavetrading  from  her  own  skirts  ?  And  do 
these  airs  indicate  that  depth  of  repentance,  which  such  a 
long  career  of  wickedness  demands  ?  Has  she  no  sins  in 
relation  to  Ireland,  India,  China,  and  the  aborigines  of 
Yan  Dieman's  Land,  yet  to  be  washed  away  ?  And  must 
our  American  churches  wait  till  their  country  be  rid  of 
slavery,  before  they  shall  be  fit  to  cooperate  with  British 
Christians  in  spreading  the  Gospel  throughout  the  world  ? 
Thanks  be  to  God,  He  does  not  thus  judge  of  us.  With 
all  our  sins  and  great  unworthiness.  He  deigns  to  bless  the 
efforts  of  our  churches  to  send  the  Gospel  even  to  India, 
to  the  aborigines,  to  the  islands  of  the  sea,  to  Mohamme- 
dan lauds.  Are  England's  missionaries  better  men,  or  more 
successful  than  our  own.  Englishmen  themselves  being 
judges  V^'  How  often  have  I  heard  such  remarks  in  reply 
to  such  language  as  that  which  I  have  quoted.     Alas,  if  the 


*  "  The  lano-uage  which  I  used  in  the  Alliance  was  different  from  that 
given  above.  I  prefer  not,  upon  revising  my  notes,  to  repeat  it,  I  there- 
fore cfive  other  language,  which  I  have  often  heard  and  seen,  and  which  will 
quite  as  well  illustrate  my  position,  namely,  that  severe  language  on  one 
side  will  call  forth  just  as  severe  on  the  other.  A  distinguished  London 
minister,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  British  and  Foi-eign  Anti-Slavery 
Society,  held  up  to  ridicule  the  placing  of  Mr.  Powers'  Greek  Slave  in  the 
Crystal  Palace,  and  pronounced  it  a  sign  of  infatuation,  of  judicial  blindness, 
on  the  part  of  the  Americans,  though  not  half  a  dozen  of  tliem,  probably, 
had  any  thing  to  do  with  the  act.  Well,  what  is  said  in  America,  by  way 
of  offset,  in  a  newspaper  which  hns  40,000  subscribers,  and  whose  editor  is 
anything  else  than  a  friend  to  slavery  or  the  South  ?  '  And  there  is  the 
Great  Diamond*  [the  writer,  who  was  the  editor  himself,  if  I  remember 
rightly,  was  describing  the  Cr^-stal  Palace]  '  the  Koh-i-noor,  what  is  it 
placed  in  the  Great  Exhibition  for  ?  Is  it  a  British  manufacture  ?  Has  it 
not  rather  been  placed  there  through  infatuation,  and  as  an  exponent  of  the 
most  prominent  traits  of  Britain's  national  character — Ambition  and  Ra- 
pacity ?'" 


266  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

robes  of  us  all  be  not  washed  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb, 
what  will  become  of  us  ?  But  I  will  say  no  more  on  this 
point,  for  I  would  not  fall  into  the  commission  of  the 
grievous  fault  which  I  am  condemning. 

"  Let  British  Christians  pursue  their  great  work  of  getting 
everything  right  in  tlieir  own  vast  dominion,  and  we  will 
do  the  same  in  our  great  country  ;  and  may  God  crown 
those  who  come  out  foremost  in  this  race !  We  apprehend 
that  when  you  have  gotten  through,  we  shall  not  be  far 
behind  you.  Yes,  we  shall  abolish  this  great  evil,  but  we 
must  be  allowed  to  take  such  time  and  employ  such  mea- 
sures as  we  deem  best.  We  believe  that  we  understand 
this  matter  better  than  you  do — I  speak  it  with  all  deference. 
We  shall  get  clear  of  slavery,  but  not  at,  or  in  consequence 
of  your  bidding,  or  to  please  you.  We  shall  get  clear  of 
it  because  the  spirit  of  Christianil^v  demands  it ;  and  because 
the  very  spirit  of  our  political  institutions,  and  the  honor 
of  our  country  demand  it.  You  placed  the  coat  of  Nessus 
on  the  young  shoulders  of  our  nation  ;  but  you  cannot 
aid  us  in  the  work  of  putting  it  off.  It  was  not  Repub- 
licanism, nor  the  Yoluntary  Principle  that  imposed  it,  nur- 
tured it  for  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  years  ;  and  if  the 
Church  did  not  do  her  duty — though  she  did  much — at  the 
time  when  the  evil  was  young  and  small,  and  comparatively 
feeble,  it  was  when  ten  out  of  our  thirteen  colonies  were 
enjoying  the  blessings,  as  some  call  them,  of  an  Established 
Church — Episcopacy  in  the  South,  Congregationalism  in 
the  North — the  former  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  the 
latter  considerably  longer. 

"  Do  not,  I  beg  of  you,  send  us  such  missionaries  as  one 
that  lately  visited  us,  and  who  now  deceives  himself,  or 
rather  tries  to  deceive  his  constituents,  by  telling  them  that 
his  speeches  made  in  this  city,  since  his  return,  will  make 
a  sensation  in  America — from  Maine  to  California  !  Yes, 
a  sensation  they  may  make,  but  it  will  be  the  double  one  of 


AMEEICAXS  IX  ENGLAND.  267 

laughter  and  contempt.  Xevertbeless,  if  you  have  another 
John  Joseph  Gurney  among  you,  let  him  come  ;  he  will  be 
heard  everywhere  with  pleasure  ;  for  when  among  us  he 
visited,  the  North  and  South,  and  everywhere,  and  whilst 
he  '  reasoned  of  righteousness,  temperance,  and  a  judgment 
to  come,'  he  was  heard  with  attention  by  all,  for  he  was 
both  a  Christian  and  a  gentleman."^ 

"  No,  dear  brethren,  the  course  which  things  have  been 
taking  for  the  last  few  years  bodes  any  thing  else  than 
good.  The  unnecessary  allusions  to  American  slavery,  and 
tlie  sweeping  charges  against  the  American  churches,  which 
one  now  hears  in  almost  every  public  meeting  in  Exeter 
Hall  and  elsewhere  in  this  city,  are  working  out  their  legit- 
imate results — not  of  hastening  the  overthrow  of  this  great 
evil  in  America,  but  of  severing  the  bonds  which  hold  two 
great  nations  together.  What  do  we  see  already  ?  A  few 
Americans  in  this  meeting,  and  most  of  them  spectators  of 
your  proceedings,  not  members  of  our  Alliance.  '  Why  is 
it,'  said  a  brother  of  this  city,  now  before  me,  well  known 
and  greatly  beloved  in  America — '  how  is  it  that  out  of  so 
many  American  ministers  now  in  Europe,  so  few  are  here, 
or  have  even  called  upon  us  ?'  That  is  a  serious  inquiry. 
I  would  prefer  to  leave  it  unanswered,  but  I  cannot. 

"  It  can  be  expressed  in  a  few  words.  '  I  am  tired,'  said 
one  of  the  best  of  the  American  brethren  now  in  this  city 
to  me,  yesterday,  '  of  going  to  public  meetings  in  this  city, 
and  of  being  insulted  by  being  made  to  hear  my  country, 
its  cliurches,  and  its  ministry  abused,  in  circumstances  where 
reply  is  impossible.'  Another  said  to  me  :  'I  was  at  the 
public  meetings  in  Exeter  Hall,  last  May,  and  I  did  not 
attend  one  in  which  some  insulting  remark  was  not  made 
about  the  United  States.'    Even  at  the  British  and  Foreign 


♦  His  published  "  Letters  to  Mr.  Clay,"  were  read  after  he  had  left  us 
with  interest,  both  in  the  South  and  Xorth. 


268  LIFE  OF  REV.  DIl  BAIRD. 

Bible  Society,  the  Tract  Society,  the  Sunday  School  So- 
ciety— at  all,  something  of  the  sort  occurred  ;  and  the 
presence  of  an  American  was  sure  to  be  the  signal  for  some 
speaker,  ambitious  of  catching  the  applause  of  a  London 
audience,  even  if  it  could  only  be  by  the  clap-trap  of  mak- 
ing a  fling  at  American  slavery  or  something  else  in  that 
country  and  its  institutions.  What  effect  can  all  this  have 
upon  any  American  who  has  any  respect  for  his  country  ? 
Tliat  there  are  Americans,  upon  whose  feelings  such  insult- 
ing remarks  would  have  no  effect,  I  have  no  doubt  is  true  ; 
but  their  number  is  wholly  insignificant. 

"  The  result  will  soon  be,  that  you  will  not  be  troubled 
with  the  presence  of  American  ministers  and  other  Chris- 
tians at  your  public  meetings,  or  any  where  else.  Indeed, 
this  is  beginning  to  be  the  case  already.  They  will  come 
to  England,  visit  the  chief  places  of  interest,  your  '  glorious 
Exhibition'  among  other  things,  whilst  it  lasts,  hear  some 
of  your  preachers  on  the  Sabbath,  but  call  upon  few  or  none 
of  you.  They  will  visit  the  tombs  of  their  fathers,  wher- 
ever they  may  be  in  your  realm,  but  not  feeling  at  home 
here,  they  will  go  over  to  the  continent,  where  they  will 
find  less  that  will  wound  their  feelings. 

"  Let  this  state  of  things  continue  to  grow  worse  and 
worse,  as  it  certainly  is  doing,  and  the  result  cannot  but  be 
disastrous  in  the  end.  It  will  alienate  the  religious  people 
of  both  countries.  They  will  cease  to  feel  that  interest 
which  each  country  ouglit  to  feel  in  the  welfare  of  the  other. 
And  then,  how  great  the  danger,  if  some  serious  misunder- 
standing should  occur  between  the  governments  of  the  two 
countries.  And  how  soon  such  a  misunderstanding  may 
take  place  none  of  us  can  tell.  It  may  occur  at  any  mo- 
ment. The  state  of  the  world  is  very  critical.  The  omens 
are  not  propitious  in  the  East.  Nor  is  the  horizon  in  the 
West  entirely  clear.  There  is  the  affair  of  Nicaragua, 
which  may  give  trouble  before  all  is  over.     And  what  may 


DANGER  OF  WAR.  269 

grow  out  of  the  Cuban  affairs  none  of  us  can  foresee.  TVe 
may  soon  fall  upon  times  whicli  will  demand  all  the  prayers 
and  the  efforts  of  the  righteous  in  both  countries  to  main- 
tain peace  between  them. 

"  But  there  is  another  element  of  disturbance  whose  in- 
fluence we  must  not  disregard.  There  have  gone  from  the 
Old  World  to  the  United  States,  within  ten  years,  at  least 
two  millions  of  emigrants.  More  than  a  million  and  a 
quarter  have  gone  since  the  Alliance  meeting  in  1846. 
Last  year  there  went  315,000,  and  this  year  it  is  ex- 
pected the  number  will  reach  half  a  million.  Tliere  had 
come  to  New  York  nearly  150,000  persons  between  the  first 
of  January  and  the  first  of  July — almost  one  thousand  per 
day.  Who  arc  these  people  ?  Mostly  Irish  Roman  Catholics 
and  Germans.  Poverty  takes  many  of  them  to  the  United 
States  ;  oppression  drives  others.  Do  you  think  that  these 
people  cherish  in  their  hearts  much  love  for  the  countries 
which  they  are  leaving  ?  If  you  do,  you  are  mistaken. 
The  number  of  such  people  is  increasing  at  a  fearful  rate, 
and  their  influence  is  beginning  to  be  felt.  Many  of  the 
most  turbulent  and  restless  people  of  the  continent — social- 
ists, radicals,  infidels — the  very  sweepings  of  Europe — are 
going  to  the  New  World.  Is  there  no  danger  in  all  this 
for  the  peace  of  Britain  and  the  United  States  ?  Some  of 
the  most  dangerous  newspapers  in  the  United  States  are 
edited  by  foreigners.  The  paper  that  has  probably  the 
most  influence  over  the  masses  in  New  York  is  edited  by  a 
Scotchman,  who  has  no  love  for  England.  That  paper  has 
a  circulation  of  sixty  thousand  copies,  and  is,  for  the  sphere 
which  it  aims  at  filling,  conducted  with  wonderful  tact. 
Its  hostility  to  England  is  undisguised.  And  there  are 
other  papers  just  as  dangerous.  Some  of  these  papers  have 
laid  hold  for  the  last  five  years  of  every  thing  which  they 
could  turn  to  account  in  stirring  up  enmity — the  Oregon 
affair,  the  Nicaragua  question,  and  the  Cuban  movement  all 


270  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

have  been  seized  hold  of  with  the  view  of  making  difficulty. 
It  required  all  the  wisdom  and  decision  of  Lord  Ashburton 
and  Mr.  Webster  to  arrange  the  Northeast  boundary  ques- 
tion ;  and  it  may  task  the  great  abilities  and  good  feelings 
of  Mr.  Webster  and  Sir  Henry  Bulwer  to  the  utmost  to 
carry  the  nation  well  through  the  questions  which  will  soon 
press  upon  their  attention. 

"  Is  it  a  time,  then,  for  the  alienation  of  the  Christians  of 
the  two  countries?  Certainly  not.  Perhaps  you  may 
think  that  you  can  do  without  us.  If  so,  I  have  to  say  that 
we  can  do  without  you.  [No,  you  cannot,  said  the  chair- 
man, Sir  Culling  Eardley.]  But  we  can  do  without  you  as 
well  as  you  can  do  without  us.  [Yes,  but  neither  can  do 
without  the  other,  replied  Sir  Culling.]  That  is  true — 
neither  can  do  without  the  other.  We  need  your  help  in 
the  work  of  promoting  religion  among  us,  by  your  raising 
up  good  men  to  labor  among  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
poor  Irish  Romanists  who  are  coming  to  us,  and  for  whose 
spiritual  instruction  we  have  so  few  suitable  laborers.  You 
can  help  us,  help  us  in  many  ways  ;  and  we  too  can  help 
you  in  return. 

"  But  enough.  I  have  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  to  give  you 
the  brief  statement  which  I  have  done  in  relation  to  the 
American  branch  of  the  Alliance,  its  very  partial  success, 
the  causes  of  its  comparative  failure,  and  to  seize  the  occa- 
sion to  express  earnestly  my  apprehensions  of  the  dangers 
which  are  likely  to  grow  out  of  the  increasing  alienation 
between  the  Christians  of  the  two  countries,  which  is  but 
too  manifest.  I  have  spoken  to  you  with  much  plainness, 
but  with  no  unkindness  of  feeling.  No  Englishman,  no 
Irishman,  no  Scotchman,  ever  visited  my  house  during  my 
long  residence  in  Paris  and  Geneva,  without  receiving  all 
the  hospitality  that  I  could  show  him.  No  Frenchman,  or 
Swiss,  or  German,  or  inhabitant  of  any  part  of  the  con- 
tinent has  ever  applied  to  me  in  person  or  by  letter  for  any 


HIS  EARNESTNESS. 


271 


help  or  favor,  Bince  my  return  to  America,  without  my 
doing  all  I  could  in  the  case.  These  sixteen  years  and 
more,  a  great  deal  of  my  time  has  been  taken  up,  and  at 
great  inconvenience  to  myself  and  my  family,  in  serving- 
people  of  Europe  in  many  ways.  I  cannot  be  charged  with 
being  influenced  by  unkind  feelings  in  putting  before  you, 
with  all  fidelity,  the  facts  and  views  which  I  have  stated. 
I  have  owed  it  to  my  name  as  an  American,  and  to  my 
origin,  not  to  hesitate  for  a  moment  to  tell  you  these  things. 
I  have  attempted  to  do  my  duty,  to  acquit  my  conscience. 
I  fear  that  a  chasm  is  opening  before  us,  and  I  have  felt  it 
my  duty  to  warn  you  of  it.  Perhaps,  however,  I  have  only 
been  performing  the  part  of  Cassandra  ;  be  it  so,  I  cannot 
help  it." 

Great  interest  was  evinced  by  the  Alliance  during  the 
delivery  of  this  speech.  Not  an  eye  in  the  assembly  that 
was  not  fixed  upon  the  speaker,  who  leaning  upon  the  desk, 
and  scarcely  raising  his  eyes  from  his  notes,  in  calm  and 
serious  tones  portrayed  the  dangers  that  threatened  both 
England  and  America,  from  the  intemperate  language  used 
on  either  side.  His  manner  was  that  of  one  who  was  con- 
scious of  being  in  the  discharge  of  a  weighty  and  responsi- 
ble duty,  however  unpalatable  might  be  the  truths  which  he 
was  compelled  to  utter.  His  auditors,  among  whom  were 
doubtless  many  who  differed  widely  from  his  views,  could 
not  but  admire  the  courage  with  which  he  proclaimed  what 
he  believed  to  be  the  truth,  and  they  abstained  from  any 
unseasonable  interruptions. 

At  tlie  conclusion  of  the  speech,  after  some  inquiries  on 
the  part  of  the  chairman  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Arthur,  in  an- 
swer to  which  Dr.  Baird  said  that,  though  appearing  by 
request  of  the  American  Branch,  the  phraseology  of  the  re- 
port was  his  own,  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  Baptist  Noel  said  : 
"  There  was  one  expression,  and  only  one,  in  the  manly  and 
Christian  address  they  had  heard,  to  which  he  should  per- 


272  LIFE  OF  REV,  DR.  BAIRD. 

sonally  take  exception.  His  reverend  brother  had  spoken 
of  them  as  haviog  put  the  American  churches  without  the 
pale.  His  ioipression  was  that  they  had  not  subjected 
themselves  to  the  charge.  They  might,  perhaps,  have  been 
guilty  of  some  ill-temper,  but  they  had  not  gone  so  far  as  to 
put  the  American  churches  out  of  the  pale  at  all."  When 
Dr.  Baird  explained  that  he  had  alluded  not  to  what  had 
been  done  in  the  Alliance,  but  elsewhere,  Mr.  Noel  objected 
to  making  the  Alliance  responsible  for  tliat. 

The  Rev.  John  Angell  James  said  :  "  He  could  not  but 
express  his  unfeigned  admiration  of  the  temper  in  which 
Dr.  Baird's  communication  had  been  laid  before  them. 
More  tenderness  of  spirit,  and  yet  more  manliness  of  mind 
and  sentiment,  he  had  scarcely  ever  witnessed.  He  must 
on  the  part  of  the  Alliance,  disclaim  any  participation  in 
the  mission  of  a  certain  gentleman  who  had  visited  America; 
they  had  nothing  to  do  either  with  that  gentleman  or  with 
his  mission.  He  would  suggest  a  friendly  conference  be- 
tween some  members  delegated  from  that  assembly  and 
their  American  brethren,  to  talk  over  the  subject  in  the 
spirit  of  brethren  and  Christians.  Possibly  there  was  re- 
quired a  little  more  forbearance  than  had  hitherto  been 
exercised.  He  had  himself  sometimes  used  strong  expres- 
sions; and  he  had  afterwards  felt  a  little  smiting  of  con- 
science, not  on  account  of  the  sentiment,  but  for  the  manner 
in  which  his  convictions  had  found  utterance." 

The  speech  of  Dr.  Baird,  as  might  have  been  anticipated, 
did  not  escape  severe  animadversion  on  the  part  of  some 
of  the  Englisli  journals,  including  several  whose  indiscrimi- 
nate abuse  of  xlmerican  institutions,  religious  and  civil,  had 
contributed  not  a  little  to  the  acrimony  of  feeling  which 
he  had  so  strongly  deplored.  One  considered  it  "  a  trial 
of  English  patience;"  another  said:  "This  address,  not- 
withstanding the  fire,  bitterness  and  scorn  with  which  it 
was  so  amply  charged,  was  uttered  with  a  calmness  rarely 


THE  SPEECH  CRITICISED. 


2/3 


equaled.  While  pouring  forth  this  torrent  of  reproacli 
and  menace,  he  resembled  a  marble  statue.  The  soul  and 
the  body  appeared  to  have  no  sympathy;  no  external  mani- 
festation whatever  was  given  of  the  workings  of  the  spirit 
within.  It  was  a  perfect  masterpiece  of  self-control  and 
deceptive  plausibility.  While  thus  venting  paragraph  after 
paragraph,  interspersed  with  fire  and  brimstone,  which 
mio'ht  have  sufficed  to  kindle  a  conflao'ration.  he  leaned 
upon  the  table  with  all  the  placidity  of  an  old  Cameronian 
minister  giving  thanks  over  a  family  meal !"  But  the  Al- 
liance was  more  suitably  impressed  with  the  importance 
and  justice  of  the  remonstrance,  and  referred  the  subject  to 
the  council  of  that  body,  with  whose  members  the  American 
clergymen  present  held  a  long  conference.  The  Rev.  Leon- 
ard Bacon,  D.D.,  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  discussion, 
and  warmly  supported  the  position  taken  by  Dr.  Baird, 
respecting  "  the  injustice  of  confounding  in  one  sweeping 
restriction  the  wortliy  and  the  unworthy  of  thor^e  American 
brethren,  who  are  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  implicated  in  the 
holding  of  men  in  bondage."  It  was  no  little  satisfaction 
to  Dr.  Baird  to  find  his  course  not  only  fully  sustained  by 
all  the  Americans  in  London,  but  approved  and  praised  in 
their  letters  to  friends  at  home.  The  council  contented  it- 
self with  a  report  full  of  conciliation,  recommending  the 
avoidance  of  all  uncharitable  actions  and  expressions  in 
the  intercourse  between  Christians  of  the  two  countries, 
and  encouraging  their  American  friends  to  renewed  exer- 
tions for  the  establishment  of  a  vigorous  branch  of  the 
Alliance  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic.  "  I  never  made 
a  speech  which  cost  me  so  much  anxiety,"  writes  Dr.  Baird 
in  his  diary:  "  I  hope  that  good  will  grow  out  of  the  move- 
ment which  it  created,  but  am  not  sanguine  about  it.  But 
God  can  overrule  all,  and  will,  to  His  glory." 

On  the  30th  of  August,  1851,  Dr.  Baird  read  before  the 
Alliance  at  one  of  its  last  sessions,  a  paper  on  "  the  Progress 
18 


274  ^^^^  ^^  ^^^-  ^^'  ^^i^^^- 

and  Prospects  of  Christianity  in  tlie  United  States  of 
America,"  wliicli  he  soon  after  published  in  pamphlet  form, 
and  which  also  found  a  place  in  the  volume  issued  by  the 
Alliance.  In  this  report,  lie  first  glances  briefly  at  tlie  his- 
tory of  the  early  colonization  of  the  country,  and  touch.es 
upon  the  chief  causes  which  retarded  its  religious  develop- 
ment— among  others,  the  anxieties,  fatigues  and  sufferings 
of  the  early  colonists,  the  wars  with  the  aborigines,  the 
French  and  Spanish  wars,  the  introduction  of  slavery,  the 
union  of  Church  and  State,  and  the  difficulty  experienced  in 
procuring  good  minister^  of  the  Gospel.  Next  he  reviews 
the  second  and  third  periods  of  the  history  of  the  American 
Church,  from  1775  to  1815,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present. 
From  this  topic  he  passes  to  a  statement  of  the  growth  of 
each  of  the  evangelical  and  non-evangelical  ecclesiastical 
bodies,  of  the  resources  of  the  Gospel  for  self-sustentation  in 
the  United  States,  and  of  the  operations  of  the  various  religi- 
ous societies.  He  concludes  with  some  observations  on 
Christian  Union,  the  influence  of  Christianity  upon  the  Gov- 
ernment, the  Temperance  and  Sabbath  causes,  infidelity,  the 
Indians,  what  Christianity  has  done  for  the  negro,  Roman- 
ism, and  other  important  points.  The  entire  speech  consti- 
tuted a  very  able  and  thorough  statistical  expcm  of  the  most 
iiiiportant  features  in  the  religious  condition  and  economy  of 
the  United  States. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THE  COXYENTION  AT  ELBERFELD.  VISIT  TO  THE  MISSION- 
ARIES AT  PESTH.  RETURN  TO  GENEVA.  INTERVIEW  WITH 
LORD  PALMERSTON.  ADDRESS  BEFORE  THE  COMMISSION 
OF  THE  FREE  CHURCH  ASSEMBLY  OF  SCOTLAND.  RE- 
TURN  TO   THE   UNITED   STATES. 

1851. 

LEAYING  London  on  the  6tli  of  September,  Dr.  Baird 
proceeded  in  the  service  of  the  Christian  Union  to 
Paris,  and  thence,  through  Belgium  and  Holland  to  Elber- 
feld,  where  the  great  annual  convention  of  Evangelical 
Christians  of  Germany  was  assembled.  On  the  day  after 
his  arrival  he  was  invited  to  address  the  conference  on  the 
state  and  prospects  of  religion  in  America,  which  he  did 
briefly,  through  an  interpreter.  In  the  evening  he  gave  a 
more  full  account  of  the  same  subject  at  a  meeting  of  the 
friends  of  the  separation  of  Church  and  State.  But  his 
stay  in  Europe  was  already  protracted  so  much  beyond  the 
limit  which  he  had  set  before  himself  at  the  time  of  his 
departure  from  the  United  States,  that  he  was  obliged  to 
travel  very  rapidly.  Accordingly  we  find  him,  in  the  course 
of  a  few  days,  at  Vienna,  having  passed  through  Berlin  and 
Prague  on  the  way. 

He  had  long  desired  to  visit  Pesth,  in  order  to  confer 
with  the  excellent  missionaries  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scot- 
land respecting  the  possibility  of  Protestant  labors  in 
Hungary  ;  and  it  was  one  of  his  principal  objects  in  going 

(275) 


276  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

to  Tiennatogain  permission  to  fulfill  this  longing.     Fortu- 
nately he  was  enabled,  through  the  kind  offices  of  the  Hon. 
Mr.  Mc Curdy,  American  Charge  d'Affaires,  to  obtain  the 
permission  of  the  police  to  enter  the  Magyar  kini'dom — a 
favor  frequently  denied  to  foreigners,  since  the  unhappy 
suppression  of  the  revolution  in  this  part  of  the  imperial 
possessions.      The    trip    extended    no  further   down   the 
Danube  than  to  the  capital,  but  it  was  deeply  interesting. 
He  gained  new  views  of  the  importance  of  this  field  of 
evangelical  exertion,  and  was  more  than  ever  impressed 
with  the  work  in  which  the  Scottish  Missionaries   were 
engaged.     He  was,  however,  careful   to   make   no  public 
statement  that  could  in  any  manner  compromise  them  ;  in 
this,  following  a  rule  which  he  had  long  since  laid  down  for 
his  guidance — never  to  allow  himself  to  be  tempted  to  pub- 
lish to  the  world  any  facts  respecting  Christian  operations 
in  any  land,  which,  while  serving  to  interest,  might  frus- 
trate the  very  objects  aimed  at.     Unfortunately  the  inad- 
vertence of  a  friend  who  visited  these  missionaries  soon 
after,  led  to  theii*  being  commanded  to  leave  the  kingdom 
of  Hungary,  and  to  the  suspension  of  their  important  work. 
While  in  Pesth,  Dr.  Baird  undertook  to  secure  the  publica- 
tion in  Germany,  England,  and  the  United  States,  of  a  very 
complete  History   of  Protestantism  in    Hungary,    by   an 
author,  who,  from  prudential  motives,  withheld  his  name — 
a  work  which  has  made  western  Christians  more  familiar 
than  they  formerly  were,  with  the  triumphs  of  the  Gospel 
among  the  Magyars,  and  the  bloody  measures  resorted  to 
for  the  suppression  of  the  reformed  doctrines. 

We  need  not  follow  in  detail  the  rapid  tour  which  Dr. 
Baird  now  took,  in  pursuance  of  his  instructions,  from 
Vienna  southward  to  Trieste,  thence,  through  Venice, 
Milan,  Turin,  Genoa,  and  Leghorn  to  Rome,  and  again  to 
Milan  and  over  the  Spliigen  into  Switzerland.  It  was  for 
the   most  part  over  ground  which  he  had  several  times 


CONSTANCE.  277 

visited,  nor  had  lie  time,  on  this  occasion,  to  indulge,  to  any 
considerable  extent,  in  the  recreation  of  sight  seeing. 
From  Turin  he  again  went  to  spend  a  few  hours  with  the 
Waldenses,  in  their  secluded  Alpine  valleys,  dow,  thanks 
to  the  entire  revolution  in  the  policy  of  the  Sardinian 
Government,  enjoying  a  degree  of  religious  toleration  to 
which  they  had  been  entire  strangers  when  he  had  first 
entered  their  borders,  fourteen  years  before.  Again  he 
met  the  venerable  Beckwith,  now  raised  to  be  a  general  in 
the  British  service,  still  engrossed  with  the  work  of  pro- 
moting the  temporal  and  spiritual  wellfare  of  a  long-op- 
pressed people,  of  whom,  although  differing  from  their 
strong  views  of  church  polity,  he  had  constituted  himself 
the  protector.  The  route  which  he  had  taken  permitted 
him  to  visit  for  the  first  time  the  city  of  Constance, 
and  to  stand  not  only  within  the  walls  of  the  hall  in 
which  the  celebrated  council  met,  but  on  the  very  spot 
hallowed  by  the  martyrdom  of  John  Huss  and  Jerome  of 
Prague. 

On  the  24th  of  October,  he  reached  Geneva.  The  most 
important  result  obtained  here  was  the  decision  to  discon- 
tinue the  American  Swiss  Committee,  through  which  the 
work  of  the  Foreign  Evangelical  Society  and  of  the  Ameri- 
can and  Foreign  Christian  Union  in  France  had  been 
mainly  prosecuted  during  the  past  ten  years.  It  was  with 
great  reluctance  that  this  step  was  taken  ;  for  the  relations 
of  the  gentlemen  composing  it  to  each  other,  as  well  as  to 
the  society  in  America,  had  always  been  of  the  most  har- 
monious character.  But  the  reasons  which  had  rendered 
the  erection  of  such  a  committee  necessary,  had  disappeared, 
and  the  central  position  of  Paris  seemed  to  indicate  that 
city  as  the  point  from  which  the  energies  of  the  Christians 
of  France  in  the  work  of  evangelization  could  be  best 
directed.  It  was  a  pleasant  circumstance  that  those  who 
had  for  so  long  a  time  controlled  the  laborers  sustained,  prin- 


278  LIFE  OF  UhV.  BE.  BAIRD. 

cipallj  in  western  France,  by  the  funds  furnished  by  the 
American  churches,  cheerfully  acquiesced  in  the  views  of 
the  directors  of  the  Christian  Union,  as  soon  as  the  grounds 
of  their  action  were  laid  before  them.  Of  his  trip  on  the 
Continent  he  remarks  in  his  diary  :  "  1  reached  Paris  on 
the  8th  of  September,  and  I  returned  to  London  on  tlie 
8th  of  November.  During  the  two  intervening  months  1 
traveled  all  of  four  thousand  miles  on  the  Continent. 
When  I  first  visited  Europe  (in  1835),  it  would  have  re- 
quired six  months,  and  infinitely  more  fatigue,  to  make  this 
tour.     Tempora  jnutantur,  verily." 

During  his  short  stay  in  London  he  met  and  addressed  a 
select  gathering  of  gentlemen  and  ladies  in  the  rooms 
occupied  by  the  college  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  on 
the  religious'  condition  of  the  Continent,  and  had  an  inter- 
view with  Lord  Palmerston,  of  which  he  has  left  an  inter- 
esting account.  "  In  the  afternoon,  at  three  o'clock,  called 
at  the  residence  of  Lord  Palmerston,  but  he  had  gone  to 
Downing-street,  having  forgotten,  it  is  probable,  that  he 
had,  by  his  secretary,  requested  me  to  call  upon  him  at  his 
house,  at  that  hour.  I  went  to  the  Foreign  Office  (in 
Downing  street),  and  was  received  in  the  kindest  manner 
by  liis  lordship,  and  had  much  conversation  with  him  on 
the  state  of  religion  in  Belgium,  France,  Hungary,  and  Italy. 
I  found  him  quite  inquisitive  on  all  the  topics  to  which  I 
desired  to  call  his  attention.  I  was  very  anxious  to  make 
him  understand  the  nature  of  the  work  now  going  on  in 
France,  Italy,  and  Belgium,  and  the  importance  of  its  being 
protected.  I  was  particularly  desirous  of  calling  his  atten- 
tion to  the  importance  of  the  British  Government's  lending 
the  aid  of  its  great  influence  to  the  support  of  religious 
liberty  ;  showing  that  England  could  do  much  in  an  in- 
direct way,  through  her  diplomacy,  to  induce  tlie  Con- 
tinental Governments  to  take  right  views  of  religious 
liberty,  by  presenting  her  own  illustrious  example.    I  cited, 


INTERVIEW  WITH  LORD  PALMERSTOK 


279 


in  particular,  Lis  own  noble  course  in  regard  to  the  Protest- 
ants, and  other  Christians,  in  Turkey. 

"  He  received  all  that  I  said  with  the  greatest  kindness, 
and  expressed  his  willingness  to  do  all  that  might  be  in  his 
power.  He  seemed  to  be  deeply  interested  in  what  I  said 
to  him  in  regard  to  Italy  and  France.  He  expressed  much 
interest  in  the  course  which  the  Government  of  Sardinia  is 
pursuing.  He  seemed  alive  to  the  critical  state  of  things  in 
France.  He  appeared  much  struck  with  the  views  which  I 
gave  him  of  the  danger  which  must  result  to  any  country, 
when  it  pursues  such  a  course  as  to  cause  the  prayers  of  the 
righteous  to  turn  against  it — as  was  manifestly  the  case  of 
Louis  Philippe,  in  his  last  years,  and  as  is  the  case  now  in 
the  same  country  under  the  government  of  Louis  Xapoleon. 

"  I  also  took  occasion  to  tell  him  how  well  satisfied  our 
Christian,  people  in  the  United  States  have  been  in  regard 
to  his  course,  in  carrying  on  the  foreign  affairs  of  England 
of  late  years,  and  especially  with  his  course  in  regard  to 
the  Armenians,  converted  under  the  labors  of  the  American 
missionaries  in  Turkey.  He  expressed  liimself  as  being 
greatly  gratified  at  these  remarks.  At  the  conclusion  of 
the  interview  he  thanked  me  for  calling  upon  him,  and  beg- 
ged me,  in  case  I  should  come  to  England  again,  not  to  fail 
to  come  to  see  him.  He  introduced  me  to  his  private  secre- 
tary, H.  Stanley,  Esq.,  whom  he  requested  to  send  me  the 
'  Blue  Books '  relating  to  the  recent  correspondence  of  the 
British  Government  with  its  ministers  in  Turkey  and  Aus- 
tria. This  Mr.  Stanley  did  most  promptly  —  for  I  had 
scarcely  returned  to  my  lodgings,  before  a  messenger  came 
from  the  Foreign  Office  with  the  books  and  with  a  very 
kind  note  from  Mr.  Stanley.  On  the  whole,  I  have  great 
reason  to  be  thankful  for  the  happy  issue  of  this  visit.  May 
it  please  our  Heavenly  Father  to  make  my  remarks  useful, 
in  some  degree,  to  the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness^  and 
to  His  name  shall  be  the  praise." 


28o  LIFE  OF  HEY.  DR.  BAIRD. 

Ou  leavino'  Loudon  he  again  crossed  the  Tweed.  At 
Edinburgh,  ou  the  19th  of  November,  he  addressed  the 
'•  Commission'"  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Free  Church, 
first  in  secret  session,  in  order  to  lay  before  it  facts  chiefly 
respecting  Hungary  and  the  efforts  of  the  Austrian  govern- 
ment to  break  down  the  Protestant  churches,  which  were 
of  such  a  nature  as  to  render  it  highly  imprudent  to  give 
them  publicity  ;  and  then  in  an  open  meeting,  upon  tlie  more 
general  topic  of  the  evangelization  of  Europe.  His  remarks, 
before  a  crowded  audience  were  listened  to  with  the  closest 
attention,  and  at  tlieir  close,  on  the  suggestion  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Candlish,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Duff,  who,  as  moderator  of  the 
General  Assembly,  was  ex-officio  chairman  of  the  commission, 
in  one  of  his  happiest  efforts  thanked  Dr.  Baird  both  for 
the  information  he  had  given,  and  for  the  confidence  he  had 
reposed  in,  the  commission  :  and  he  closed  by  a  neat  allusion 
to  the  Scottish  origin  of  the  speaker  from  America,  and  to 
his  connection  with  a  Church  that  had  produced  so  many 
men  that  had  nobly  contended  for  the  truth. 

The  same  address  in  substance  Dr.  Baird  delivered  in 
the  coiu'se  of  the  next  few  days  at  Glasgow,  Belfast  and 
Dublin.  Finally,  on  the  26th  of  November,  he  sailed  from 
Liverpool  and  reached  New  York  on  the  7th  of  December, 
1851,  after  a  journey  of  more  than  thirteen  thousand  miles. 


CHAPTER   XXY. 

THE  MOVEMENT  IX  BEHALF  OF  THE  MADIAI.  EFFORT  TO 
SECURE  LIBERTY  OF  WORSHIP  AND  THE  RITES  OF  BURIAL 
TO  AMERICANS  ABROAD.  RELIGIOUS  LIBERTY  IN  SWEDEN. 
HE  RESIGNS  THE  POSITION  OF  SECRETARY  OF  THE  AMERI- 
CAN AND  FOREIGN  CHRISTIAN  UNION.  VISIT  TO  EUROPE 
IN  1855.  THE  ALLIANCE  MEETING  AT  PARIS.  LECTURES 
ON   EUROPE.      THE    WALDENSES. 

1851-1855. 

BESIDES  the  direct  part  wliicli  Dr.  Baird  assumed  in 
the  efforts,  made  by  the  society  with  which  lie  was 
connected,  to  extend  the  knowledge  of  the  pure  Gospel 
in  lands  where  it  was  obscured  by  ignorance  and  super- 
stition, there  were  few  movements  to  secure  the  prevalence 
of  the  true  principles  of  religious  liberty  in  which  he  did 
not  take  an  active  interest.  Several  occasions  for  the  dis- 
play of  his  ardent  desire  to  see  the  rights  of  conscience 
everywhere  recognized  and  respected  presented  themselves 
during  the  period  with  which  we  are  now  concerned.  The 
shameful  persecution  to  which  the  Madiai  family  had  been 
subjected,  called  forth  the  indignant  protest  of  almost  the 
entire  Christian  world.  The  Government  of  the  United 
States  was  entreated  to  use  all  the  influence  which  it  pos- 
sessed to  procure  from  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany  the  par- 
don of  two  persons,  about  fifty  years  of  age,  sentenced  to 
four  years  of  hard  labor  in  the  galleys,  for  the  single  crime 
of  reading  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  their  own  native  language. 

(281) 


2S2  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

And  to  secure  a  more  earnest  remonstrance  on  the  part  of 
the  Government,  Dr.  Baird  advocated  the  holdmg  of  a  great 
public  meeting  in  the  city  ol  New  York,  by  means  of  which 
the  attention  of  the  people  might  be  riveted  to  the  scanda- 
lous proceeding.  Upon  him  devolved,  in  great  measure, 
the  burden  that  is  always  incidental  to  the  preparation  for 
such  an  occasion  ;  and  while  with  characteristic  modesty, 
he  took  no  further  part  in  the  exercises  than  simply  an- 
nouncing the  circumstances  of  the  outrage,  leaving  it  to 
others  to  dwell  upon  its  enormity  and  arouse  the  sympa- 
thies of  the  audience,  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  his 
labors  well  rewarded  in  the  advancement  of  the  objects 
contemplated. 

In  a  similar  manner.  Dr.  Baird  united  with  others,  a  year 
or  two  later,  in  an  effort  to  procure  from  the  Government 
of  the  United  States  a  declaration  of  its  determination  to 
advocate  the  concession  of  full  religious  liberty  in  foreign 
lands,  and  to  protect  American  citizens  while  sojourning 
or  residing  abroad,  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  rights  of  con- 
science and  of  religious  worship.  On  the  26th  of  January, 
1854,  a  grand  meeting  was  held  in  the  Broadway  Taber- 
nacle, at  which  the  Hon.  George  Wood  was  called  to  the 
chair,  and,  after  a  succinct  statement  of  the  objects  of  the 
movement,  eloquent  addresses  were  made  by  David  D.  Field, 
Esq.,  the  Rev.  E.  N.  Kirk,  D.D.,  and  others.  The  denial 
of  the  rites  of  burial  to  American  Protestants  dying  in 
several  of  the  Spanish  Roman  Catholic  States  was  made  the 
subject  of  severe  animadversion. 

His  labors  were  not,  however,  limited  to  the  attempt  to 
secure  religious  toleration  for  Protestants  in  Romish  states. 
He  was  equally,  or,  perhaps,  we  ought  to  say  more,  desir- 
ous, that  the  largest  measure  of  freedom  to  dissent  should 
be  accorded  to  Romanists  in  Protestant  lands.  He  joined 
heartily  in  the  combined  remonstrances  addressed  a  few 
years  later  to  the  King  of  Sweedcn,  when,  in  accordance 


IXTERCESSIOX  FOR  RELIGIOUS  LIBERTY.        2S3 

with  intolerant  statutes  of  a  very  ancient  date,  "  six  women, 
brought  up  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  faitli,  were  con- 
demned on  the  19th  of  May,  1858,  by  the  Royal  Court  of 
Stockholm,  presided  over  by  Count  Eric  Sparre,  to  be 
exiled  from  the  kingdom,  and  to  be  deprived  in  future  of 
every  inheritance  therein,  and  of  all  civil  rights,  in  conse- 
quence of  having  euibraced  the  Roman  Catholic  religion." 
And,  employing  the  influence  which  the  providence  of  God 
had  given  him  with  crowned  heads  and  with  others  occupy- 
ing elevated  positions  in  northern  Europe,  he  endeavored 
in  private  intervicAvs,  as  he  had  ever  done,  to  instill  more 
correct  views  of  the  duty  and  practicability  of  extending 
complete  religious  liberty  to  the  adherents  of  every  faith. 

Indeed,  it  may  be  safely  asserted  that  no  movement 
afi*ecting  the  religious  rights  of  any  portion  of  the  Christian 
world  was  an  object  of  indifference  to  him.  The  attempt 
was  made  by  the  late  Archbishop  John  Hughes  of  New 
York  to  obtain  the  passage  of  a  law  in  the  Legislature  of 
the  State  of  New  York,  that  should  facilitate  the  accumu- 
lation of  ecclesiastical  property  in  the  hands  of  the  prelates 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  who  were  thus  to  obtain 
the  power  to  override  the  opposition  of  refractory  trustees, 
and  to  acquire  undisputed  control  over  the  "  temporalities  " 
of  the  church.  This  audacious  undertaking  was  met  by 
the  determined  remonstrances  of  all  who  perceived  to  what 
a  spiritual  despotism  it  tended.  The  efforts  of  Dr.  Baird 
to  defeat  the  bill  introduced  by  Mr.  Taber  were  unremit- 
ting. By  private  interviews,  by  his  pen,  by  advocating  a 
remonstrance  to  the  Legislature  signed  by  great  numbers 
of  intelligent  and  respectable  citizens,  he  contributed  to  its 
rejection.  His  familiar  acquaintance  with  the  entire  sub- 
ject, acquired  by  long  and  repeated  visits  to  a  great  number 
of  Roman  Catholic  states,  including  all  those  in  Europe, 
enabled  him  to  furnish  to  members  of  the  Legislature  who 
desired  to  resist  the  archiepiscopal  encroachment,  accurate 


284  LIFE  OF  REV.  BR.  BAIRD. 

and  copious  information,  which  otherwise  they  miglit  have 
found  it  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  obtain.  It  was 
apparently,  in  part,  if  not  wholly,  from  his  pen  tliat  the 
memorial  above  referred  to  emanated  ;  a  document  which 
portrayed  tlie  perils  to  the  State  attending  tlie  creation  of 
a  vast  "  moneyed  hierarchy,"  soon,  perhaps,  to  be  presided 
over  by  a  cardinal,  himself  amenable  to  the  Pope  alone  ; 
and  in  which  the  significant  fact  was  brought  prominently 
forward,  that  out  of  thirty-two  bishops  and  archbishops 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  the  United  States,  very 
few,  probably  not  five,  were  Americans  by  birth, 
^i  Dr.  Baird  retained  his  connection  with  the  American  and 
Foreign  Christian  Union  as  Corresponding  Secretary  until 
May,  1855.  At  the  Society's  Anniversary  held  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  on  the  8th  of  that  month,  he  tendered  his  resig- 
nation, retaining,  however,  a  connection  with  it  as  a  mem- 
ber  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  The  considerations  that 
impelled  him  to  the  adoption  of  this  step,  being  in  great 
part  of  a  private  character,  need  not  find  a  place  here.  It 
was  only  after  a  long  and  careful  examination  that  he  had 
come  to  this  conclusion  ;  for  it  was  the  severing,  for  a  time, 
at  least,  of  the  close  and  official  ties  that  had  bound  him  for 
manv  years  to  an  enterprise  of  which  he  stood  prominently 
forth  as  a  chief  founder.  But  although  he  considered  it  his 
duty  to  decline  a  reelection  as  Secretary,  his  interest  in 
the  great  work  to  which  he  had  consecrated  the  entire 
prime  of  his  life  was  in  no  wise  abated.  It  continued  to 
claim  his  best  prayers  and  much  of  his  labor  ;  nor  were  the 
contributions  wliich  he  made  to  it  from  the  avails  of  his 
lectures  in  Europe  insignificant.  At  all  times  he  was  ready 
to  meet  with  the  Board  to  which  its  management  was  en- 
trusted, and  to  give  them  the  results  of  the  experience 
which  his  long  connection  with  the  work  had  afforded 
him. 

While   leaving    the    American   and   Foreign    Christian 


niXNEB  TO  LOUD  SHAFTESBURY.  285 

Union,  lie  consented,  however,  to  visit  in  its  service  the 
continent  of  Europe,  in  the  summer  of  1855  ;  having  at  the 
same  time  been  appointed  a  delegate  to  the  Evangelical 
Alliance  which  was  to  meet  at  Paris.  He  sailed  from  Xew 
York  on  the  11th  of  July,  and  reached  Liverpool  on  Sun- 
day, the  22d,  in  time  to  attend  church  and  listen  to  an 
admirable  sermon  by  the  celebrated  and  lamented  Dr. 
Raffles.  The  next  day  he  left  for  Ireland,  visiting  Dublin 
and  Belfast,  and  marking  the  progress  and  success  of  mis- 
sions among  the  Roman  Catholics.  Returning  to  Great 
Britain,  he  spent  a  day  or  two  at  Glasgow,  and  several 
davs  at  Edinburdi  and  at  London.  "  One  of  the  most 
pleasing  incidents  of  my  short  visit  to  London  was  the 
opportunity  it  gave  me  of  attending  a  dinner  given  to  the 
Earl  of  Shaftesbury  by  the  National  Club  (the  most  reli' 
gioi's,  I  believe,  of  all  the  clubs  of  the  great  metropolis),  as  a 
'  testimonial '  of  respect  for  his  recent  efforts  in  Parliament 
in  behalf  of  religious  liberty — efforts  wliich  were  successful 
in  doing  away  some  acts  passed  in  the  reigns  of  William  and 
Marv  and  of  Georore  HI.,  which  interfered  with  the  holdino 
of  religious  meetings  in  private  houses.  It  was  cli coring 
to  hear  many  of  the  members  of  Parliament  who  spoke  that 
night  express  themselves  so  fully  and  earnestly  in  behalf 
of  the  true  Gospel  of  religious  liberty  for  all.  Although 
all  were  of  the  Established  Church,  and  all  laymen,  their 
speeches  were  pervaded  by  a  noble  spirit  of  respect  for 
Christians  and  Churches  that  hold  no  connection  with  the 
State.  It  would  be  well  if  the  bishops  and  great  numbers 
of  the  clergy  of  the  Established  Church  possessed  an  equal 
amount  of  the  true  Christian  liberality  and  charity  which 
were  displayed  on  that  occasion." 

He  passed  rapidly  through  France.  At  Lyons,  where  he 
made  a  short  stop,  he  found  eight  evangelical  chapels,  where 
twenty  years  before,  when  he  first  entered  the  city,  there  had 
been  but  one.     And  this  was  under  the  very  eyes  of  X\\Q 


286  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

archbisbop,  who  prides  liimself  upon  his  title  of  "  primate 
of  all  the  Gauls,"  and  in  a  city,  wliere  is  the  seat  of  the 
principal  missionary  organization  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
world,  the  Propaganda.  At  Genoa  the  cholera  was  raging, 
and  he  passed  on  to  Turin,  in  order  to  fulfill  the  main  object 
of  this  part  of  his  tour,  and  see  once  more  the  members  of 
Waldensian  "  Table."  "  Our  visit  was  every  way  oppor- 
tune. The  day  after  our  arrival,  tliere  was  a  fete  or  '  festi- 
val,' as  it  was  called,  at  Pra  del  Toi\  near  the  head  of  the 
valley  of  Angrogna,  and  at  the  distance  of  eight  or  ten 
miles  from  La  Tour.  It  was  the  third  meeting  of  the  sort 
which  they  have  ever  had.  It  was  held  on  the  15th  of 
August.  At  least  four  thousand  persons  were  present, 
coming  from  all  the  '  Valleys.'  The  meeting  was  held  in 
the  midst  of  the  most  striking  natural  scenery.  It  began 
at  nine  o'clock;  and  with  an  interval  of  an  hour  or  two  for 
refreshments,  it  lasted  until  four  or  five  in  the  afternoon. 
Several  prayers  were  offered  up,  several  hymns  were  sung, 
and,  in  all,  some  fourteen  or  fifteen  addresses  were  delivered 
by  Waldensian  professors  and  pastors,  and  by  three  or  four 
foreign  brethren,  of  whom  your  correspondent  was  one.  It 
was  a  most  interesting  sight — ^more  than  four  thousand  men, 
women,  and  children,  the  most  of  them  standing  for  hours 
on  the  spot  where  once  stood  the  theological  school  of  these 
wonderful  people,  and  where  their  Synod  used  to  meet  in 
ages  that  preceded  the  Reformation." 

Returning  by  way  of  Geneva,  Dr.  Baird  reached  Paris  in 
season  for  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  whose  sessions  opened 
on  the  23d  of  August,  1855.  It  was  a  pleasing  circumstance 
that  the  Rev.  Dr.  Grandpierre,  who  presided  over  the 
initiatory  services,  alluded  in  eloquent  terms  to  the  striking 
contrast  between  the  peaceful  scenes  in  the  midst  of  which 
this  Christian  assembly  met  and  the  terrible  tragedy  enact- 
ed but  one  day  later  in  the  month,  283  years  before,  when 
on  the  24th  of  August,  1572,  the  streets  of  Paris  had  flowed 


HIS  LECTURES.  287 

with  Huguenot  blood,  sliecl  according  to  a  preconcerted^ 
plan  of  assassination.  In  the  proceedings  of  the  Alliance, 
and  especially  on  the  day  devoted  to  America,  Dr.  Baird 
took  an  active  part.  On  the  25th  of  August,  the  day  con- 
f^ecrated  to  the  consideration  of  this  topic,  he  read  the  sum- 
mary of  a  long  and  interesting  paper  on  the  State  and 
Prospects  of  Religion  in  the  United  States,  which,  published 
in  extenso  in  the  volume  of  papers  read  before  the  conference, 
occupies  some  fifty-six  pages.  He  was  also  a  member  of  ^ 
committee  appointed  by  the  Alliance  to  wait  upon  the 
British  minister,  Lord  Cowley,  and  to  lay  before  him  a 
memorial,  such  as  was  addressed  to  the  governments  of 
France  and  of  several  other  countries,  in  favor  of  the  main- 
tenance of  religious  liberty  in  Turkey.  A  few  days  more 
spent  in  France,  including  a  short  trip  to  ancient  Poitou, 
and  in  Great  Britain,  consumed  the  remainder  of  the  brief 
time  allotted  to  his  stay  in  Europe;  and  towards  the  end 
of  September  he  embarked  at  Liverpool,  reaching  New 
York  at  the  commencement  of  October. 

During  the  four  years  succeeding  his  return  from  Europe, 
while  Dr.  Baird  remained  unconnected  with  any  religious   | 
society,  he  was  principally  occupied  in  delivering  lectures^^^ 
on  the  various  countries  of  Europe.    As  early  as  in  1844-5,  ( 
after  repeated  solicitations  of  friends,  who  were  desirous  that 
he  should  communicate  to  the  public  some  part  of  the  stores 
of  information  which  he  had  gathered  in  his  repeated  visits 
to  the  old  world,  he  had  consented  to  prepare  a  short  com*se. 
Disclaiming  all  effort  to  give  to  his  remarks  a  studied  form, 
he  described,  in  language  as  familiar  as  that  he  would  have 
employed  in  ordinary  conversation,  the  physical  aspect  and 
history  of  each  of  the  European  countries,  the  character  of 
the  people,  their  appearance,  costumes  and  habits — in  short, 
all  that  would  strike  an  American  traveler  as  strange  and 
worthy  of  notice.     The  lectures  were  not  intended  to  be 


288  .      LTFE  OF  BEV.  DR.  BAinD. 

exhaustive.  But  it  was  attempted,  by  a  judicious  selection 
of  topics,  to  convey  a  notion  so  just  and  accurate  of  the 
condition  of  the  most  civilized  portion  of  the  eastern  conti- 
nent, that  no  attentive  auditor  could  return  to  his  home 
witliout  a  warmer  and  more  intelligent  interest  in  its  wel- 
fare, and  a  heartier  appreciation  of  the  difficulties  with 
Kvhich  native  friends  of  progress,  both  civil  and  religious, 
[were  contending.  It  was  impracticable  to  extend  such  a 
course  beyond  eight,  or  at  most  ten  discourses;  and  yet  the 
subject  was  so  vast  that  it  might  profitably  have  occupied 
a  far  larger  number.  So  multitudinous  were  the  points  to 
which  he  desired  to  call  the  attention  of  his  hearers  that 
rarely  were  less  than  two  hours  consumed  in  the  lecture; 
but  the  physical  fatigue  which  so  long  an  effort  might  have 
induced  both  in  speaker  and  audience,  was  in  a  great  degree 
precluded  b}^  the  simple,  conversational  manner  in  which 
the  information  was  conveyed. 

These  lectures  were  frequently  repeated  while  Dr.  Baird 
remained  in  connection  with  the  Foreign  Evangelical  So- 
ciety and  the  American  and  Foreign  Christian  Union,  in 
places  to  which  his  official  duties  called  him;  always,  how- 
ever, with  more  or  less  modification,  and  not  rarely  with  an 
entirely  difi'erent  selection  of  topics.  It  is  believed  that 
these  societies  were  largely  the  gainers  by  the  enlightened 
views  which  were  thus  disseminated,  and  whose  immediate 
result  was  the  increase  of  prayer  and  material  aid  in  behalf 
of  the  work  in  which  they  were  engaged.  In  addition  to 
this  incidental  benefit,  we  find  direct  donations  from  their 
avails,  amounting  in  a  single  year  to  81,400. 

But  neither  his  lectures  nor  any  other  pursuit  was  ever 
permitted  to  interfere  with  his  labors  for  the  promotion 
of  the  cause  of  his  Saviour.  Yery  rarely  did  a  Sabbath 
pass  on  which  he  did  not  preach  twice  or  tliree  times;  often 
on  the  great  topics  of  personal  salvation;  often  on  the  state 


THE  WALDEXSES.  289 

and  prospects  of  religion  in  Europe.  The  Waldenses,  a 
people  for  whom  he  felt  peculiar  solicitude,  received  consid- 
erable sums,  the  proceeds  of  lectures  on  their  country,  or 
of  sermons  in  which  their  work  of  evangelization  in  Italy 
was  made  a  special  theme  of  contemplation. 


19 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

EIGHTH  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  RESOLVES  TO  SEE  WHAT  CAN  BE 
DONE  TO  INDUCE  THE  RUSSIAN  GOVERNMENT  TO  ALLOW 
THE  PUBLICATION  OF  THE  BIBLE  IN  MODERN  RUSS.  HE 
LAYS  HIS  PLAN  BEFORE  THE  AMERICAN  BIBLE  SOCIETY,  BY 
WHICH  IT  IS  APPROVED.  CONFERENCE  WITH  THE  COM- 
MITTEE OF  THE  BRITISH  AND  FOREIGN  BIBLE  SOCIETY.  IN- 
TERVIEW WITH  THE  KING  OF  PRUSSIA.  OBSTACLES.  IS 
ADMITTED  TO  AN  AUDIENCE  BY  THE  EMPEROR.  MEMORAN- 
DUM TO  PRINCE  GORTCHAKOFF.  THE  PRINCE  OF  OLDEN- 
BURG AND  THE  HOLY  SYNOD.  ENCOURAGEMENT.  THE 
EVANGELICAL  ALLIANCE  AT  BERLIN.  THE  MEMORIAL. 
RESULTS.         THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  IN  MODERN  RUSS. 

1857.  • 

AN  undertaking,  second  in  importance  to  none  of  those 
in  Avhicli  he  had  i^reviously  engaged,  was-  entered 
upon,  after  much  serious  consideration,  in  the  summer  of  the 
year  1857.  He  had  early  resolved  to  attend  the  great 
Evangelical  Alliance  meeting,  to  be  held  in  the  autumn,  in 
Northern  Germany.  These  periodical  meetings,  in  which 
Christians  from  so  many  lands,  and  speaking  so  many 
tongues,  met  in  the  most  sacred  of  all  relations,  as  the 
children  upon  earth  of  one  heavenly  Father,  had  a  peculiar 
charm  for  him.  They  realized  more  fully  than  any  other 
convocations  his  idea  of  the  unity  of  all  believers  ;  they 
exhibited  their  substantial  harmony  of  faith  and  practice  ; 
they  cheered  him  with  the  encouraging  testimony  that  was 

(290) 


THE  BIBLE  FOR  RUSSIA. 


291 


brought  from  every  land  tliat  tbe  kingdom  of  God  was 
leavening  the  world.  And  he  could  not  resist  the  convic- 
tion that  the  united  prayers  of  so  many  devout  Christian 
brethren  would  not  ascend  in  vain  to  the  throne  of  grace. 

But  while  s^oinsr  to  take  his  seat  anions:  the  American 
deleofates  to  the  Alliance  at  Berlin,  it  had  occurred  to  Dr. 
Baird  that  he  might  render  his  visit  to  Europe  still  further 
productive  of  good  if  he  should  make  an  effort  to  induce 
the  government  of  the  vast  Russian  empire  to  permit  the 
Holy  Scriptures  to  be  printed  and  disseminated  once  more 
anions*  its  millions  of  inhabitants  in  their  own  native 
tono-ues.  It  was  in  a  conversation  with  the  late  Rev.  Dr. 
Brigham,  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  that  he  first  pro- 
posed this  mission  ;  and  at  his  request  he  reduced  his 
views  to  writing,  in  order  that  they  might  be  presented  in 
a  more  definite  shape,  to  tlie  directors  of  that  society. 
Writing  to  Dr.  Brigham  from  Freehold.  Xew  Jersey,  on  the 
27th  of  May,  1857,  he  says  : 

"  I  have  long  believed  that  something  ought  to  be  done — 
if  anvthino:  can  be — to  induce  the  Russian  Government  to 
open  the  door  for  the  more  general  diffusion  of  the  Word 
of  God  in  that  great  empire.  Since  the  suspension  of  the 
operations  of  the  great  Russian  Bible  Society,  which  dur- 
ing the  period  of  ten  years,  from  1815  to  1825,  put  into 
circulation  almost  a  half  a  million  of  copies  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, or  portions  of  them,  nothing  of  any  consequence  has 
been  done  to  give  the  Bible  to  the  fifty  millions  in  that 
vast  >ountrv  who  belons^  to  the  Greek  Church.  The  St. 
Petersburg  Bible  Society,  established  in  1831 — five  years 
after  the  suspension  of  the  National  Society — has  done  a 
good  deal,  as  have  the  Bible  Societies  of  Finland  and  the 
Baltic  provinces,  among  the  Protestant  populations  of  the 
northern  part  of  the  empire.  Something  has  been  done 
from  Ode.-sa  in  the  South,  among  the  Armenian  and  Jewish, 
and  German  Protestant  population.     The  population  of 


292  LIFE  OF  REV.  Bli.  BAIRD. 

Russia  is  now  about  seventy  millions,  of  whom  about  twenty 
millions— Protestants  3,000,000,  Roman  Catholics  7,500,Oc6, 
Jews  1,650,000,  Armenians  1,000,000,  and  seven  or  eight 
millions  of  Mohammedans  and  pagans — are  not  of  the 
National  Church,  and  are  open  to  efforts  to  circulate  the 
Word  of  God,  more  or  less  without  restriction.  But  noth- 
ing of  importance  has  been  done  for  thirty  years  for  the 
fifty  millions  of  the  Greek  Church.  Should  not  something 
be  attempted  ?  It  is  clear  that  whatever  is  attempted  the 
initiative  must  be  made  by  American  Christians.  English 
Christians  can  do  nothing  at  present  of  much  moment.  If 
the  American  Bible  Society  is  disposed  to  make  tlie  experi- 
ment I  am  willing  to  go  and  see  what  can  be  done.  I  know 
pretty  well  the  present  emperor,  his  mother,  and  other 
members  of  the  imperial  family  ;  and  I  think  that  I  can 
induce  the  King  of  Prussia  to  lend  the  weight  of  his  in- 
fluence. He  gave  me  a  letter  of  introduction  to  his  sister, 
the  ex-empress,  and  mother  of  the  present  emperor,  when 
I  first  went  to  Russia,  and  he  has  always  been  very  friendly 
to  me.  I  am  quite  sure  that  he  will  be  ready  to  do  all  that 
he  can  in  the  case.  Perhaps,  too,  I  might  render  some 
service  to  the  Bible  cause  by  visiting  Belgium  and  Holland, 
Denmark,  Norway,  Sweden,  Finland,  and  the  Baltic  prov- 
inces on  my  way  to  or  from  St.  Petersburg." 

The  proposition  was  well  received  by  the  American 
Bible  Society,  and  he  was  requested  to  visit  St.  Petersburg, 
and  to  ascertain  by  personal  efforts  what  it  was  possible  to 
effect  for  the  promotion  of  the  great  cause  which  was  so 
dear  to  the  lieart  of  every  true  Protestant.  The  instruc- 
tions respecting  other  portions  of  the  field  of  operations 
of  the  Society,  as  being  of  subordinate  interest,  we  here 
omit. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  1857,  Dr.  Baird  sailed  from  Boston 
for  Liverpool.  At  once  upon  his  arrival  in  England  he 
proceeded  to  London,  where  he  had  an  interview  with  the 


WniTES  TO  THE  KING  OF  PRUSSIA.  293 

Earl  of  Shaftesbury  at  the  House  of  Lords,  and  with  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Bergne,  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society.  On  his  stating  to  them  the  object 
of  his  projected  mission  to  Russia,  he  was  very  cordially 
invited  to  a  meeting  of  the  committee  of  the  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society.  The  Earl  of  Shaftesbury  presided 
on  this  occasion,  and  listened  with  much  apparent  interest, 
as  did  the  other  gentlemen  who  were  present  to  the  number 
of  thirty  or  more,  to  a  statement  of  his  plan.  The  desire 
was  universally  expressed  to  do  all  that  was  in  the  power 
of  British  Christians  to  further  the  cause  of  the  Bible  in 
the  great  Russian  empire,  as  soon  as  it  might  please  God  to 
open  the  door  to  tliem.  Some  one  even  proposed  to  send 
along  with  Dr.  Baird  a  deputy  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society  ;  but  this  overture  was  promptly  rejected,  as 
likely  "  to  embarrass  if  not  defeat  the  whole  movement." 

Accompanied  by  the  prayers  and  good  wishes  of  these 
and  other  British  Christians  for  his  success  in  his  important 
undertaking,  he  continued  his  journey  to  Berlin,  taking 
Paris,  Geneva,  Lausanne,  Berne,  and  Frankfort  (to  which 
other  duties  invited  his  presence)  on  his  way.  Before  his 
departure  from  the  United  States,  he  had,  on  the  22d  of 
June,  addressed  a  letter  to  the  King  of  Prussia,  in  which 
after  reminding  his  majesty  of  the  kind  permission  which 
he  had  granted  him  many  years  before  to  write  to  him,  he 
had  informed  him  of  his  expected  visit  to  Northern  Europe 
and  of  his  object,  in  which  he  felt  confident  that  his  majesty 
would  be  deeply  interested.  "  I  have  long  felt  that  some- 
thing ought  to  be  done  to  cause  the  Holy  Scriptures  to  have 
a  greater  circulation  in  Russia.  For  years  I  have  reflected 
on  this  subject,  and  prayed  over  it,  and  now  I  am  going  to 
Russia  to  speak  with  the  emperor,  who  is  an  enlightened 
and  well-disposed  sovereign,  on  this  great  question.  He 
received  me  with  great  kindness,  as  did  your  majesty's 
august  sister,  his  mother,  when  I  was  in  St.  Petersburg  in 


294  Z/i'"^  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

1840  and  1846."  He  stated  his  hope  to  be  in  Berlin  about 
the  first  of  xVugiist,  and  said  that  he  y\-ould  esteem  it  a  great 
favor  if  the  king  wouki  grant  him,  as  soon  as  convenient,  a 
private  audience.  "  I  wisli,"  he  writes,  '''■  to  confer  with 
yoiu'  majesty,  as  with  a  Christian  Monarch  wlio  takes  a 
deep  interest  in  all  that  concerns  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ." 

He  had  not  misappreliended  the  sentiment  of  the  Prussian 
monarch,  respecting  whose  cordial  reception  he  wrote  to 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Brigham  from  Berlin,  August  5  : 

"  As  soon  as  possible  after  my  arrival,  I  apprised  his 
majesty  the  king  of  my  being  here,  and  of  my  desire  to  see 
him.  The  next  morning  (yesterday)  I  received  an  invita- 
tion to  come  out  to  Sans-Souci,  the  Palace  at  Potsdam, 
where  the  king  spends  the  summer.  I  went  out  and  met  a 
large  number  of  gentlemen  and  ladies  at  the  table  of  the 
king,  among  whom  were  Professor  Ranke,  Rev.  Dr.  Strauss 
(one  of  the  court  preachers),  Baron  Yon  Gerolt  from  Wash- 
ington, Baron  Humboldt,  etc.  After  the  dinner,  the  king 
took  a  walk  with  me  in  the  garden,  and  gave  me  an  oppor- 
tunity of  saying  all  that  was  necessary  respecting  my  pro- 
posed visit  to  Russia,  and  afterwards  he  sent  an  officer  down 
to  the  depot  of  the  Potsdam  and  Berlin  Railroad  with  a  letter 
recommending  me  and  the  object  of  my  very  '  Christian-like 
mission'  (as  he  called  it,  when  I  was  taking  leave  of  him? 
before  the  entire  court),  to  his  nephew,  the  Emperor  of 
Russia." 

At  Stockholm  and  Copenhagen,  which  he  next  visited, 
he  discovered  encouraging  tokens  of  the  progress  of  the 
cause  of  truth.  This  was  found  in  Sweden  principally  in 
connection  with  the  reading  of  the  Word  of  God  and  of 
otiier  religious  books.  "  In  fact,"  he  writes,  "  '  Beaderism^ 
is  likely  to  become  the  popular  title  of  a  new  sect  in  Swe- 
den, and  to  be  as  famous  there  as  tlie  word  '  Methodism^  in 
England,  and  ^Moiuier'  in  France." 


ARRIVAL  AT  ST.  PETERSBURG.  295 

Upon  his  arrival  at  St.  Petersburg  Dr.  Baircl  found  that 
his  TLsit  could  scarcely  have  been  less  opportune.  The  em- 
peror and  his  court  were  occupied  exclusively  with  prepa- 
rations for  the  marriage  of  the  Grand  Duke  Michael,  the 
emperor's  youngest  brother,  and  for  a  journey  to  Germany, 
and  perhaps  as  far  as  France  ;  and  it  was  hardly  to  be 
expected  that  the  attention  of  the  monarch  should  be  gained 
for  a  subject  of  which,  as  a  worldly  man,  he  could  not  appre- 
hend the  full  importance.  Dr.  Baird's  coming,  however, 
was  not  to  be  in  vain.  In  a  letter  from  St.  Petersburg, 
Sept.  1,  after  detailing  the  special  difficulties  to  which  we 
have  alluded,  he  relates  his  unexpected  success  in  reaching 
the  imperial  ear. 

"  Under  these  circumstances  it  has  not  been  as  easy  as 
usual  to  see  the  emperor.  But  upon  learning  tlirough  Col. 
Seymour,  as  well  as  the  Prince  of  Oklonburg,  whom  I  saw 
the  day  after  my  arrival,  and  from  wliom  as  well  as  the 
princess  I  have  received  many  kind  attentions,  that  I  was 
here,  the  emperor  named  the  hour  immediately  succeeding 
the  service  in  the  chapel  of  the  Winter  Palace  last  Sabbath, 
in  which  to  receive  rae,  and  although  he  said  that  he  was 
greatly  occupied,  as  he  manifestly  was,  he  expressed  mucli 
pleasure  at  seeing  me  again  in  St.  Petersburg,  and  heard 
me  state  the  object,  in  a  few  words,  of  my  present  visit  to 
Russia,  and  then  requested  me  to  explain  everything  to 
Prince  Gortchakoff,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  and  prom- 
ised that  he  would  take  the  subject  into  consideration  at 
the  earliest  day  possible.  Yesterday  I  presented  to  tlie 
prince  a  written  statement,  having  first  read  it  to  Mr. 
Maltsoff,  the  first  officer  in  the  Department  for  Foreign 
Affairs.  To-night  I  am  invited  to  a  great  Fete  at  Peter- 
lioff,  to  which  I  shall  probably  go.  It  is  likely  that  I  shall 
there  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  all  the  members  of  the 
imperial  family,  and  of  speaking  to  several  of  them  a  few 
words.     I  shall  do  all  I  can,  you  may  rest  well  assured,  to 


296  LIFE  OF  nEv.  nn.  baild. 

get  the  subject  before  as  many  minds  as  possible.  I  shall 
spend  the  night,  in  case  I  go,  at  the  House  of  the  Prince  of 
Oldenburg,  as  he  has  very  kindly  invited  me  to  do,  and 
confer  with  him  and  the  excellent  princess  in  relation  to 
this  matter,  as  well  as  in  relation  to  the  best  modes  of  doing 
good  to  the  many  millions  of  people  of  this  great  empire." 
As  it  seems  probable  that  the  memorandum  which  Dr. 
Baird  submitted  to  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs,  accord- 
ing to  the  emperor's  request,  was,  under  the  Divine  bless- 
ing, an  important  instrument  in  calling  tlie  notice  of  the 
monarch  and  his  cabinet  to  the  duty  of  initiating  some  plan 
for  the  publication  and  distribution  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 
in  a  language  intelligible  to  the  mass  of  tlie  population  of 
the  empire,  it  may  be  interesting  to  present  this  document 
to  the  reader  without  abridgment : 

"  To  His  Excellency,  Pre^ce  Gortchakoff, 

Minister  of  Foreign  Ajfairs. 
"Monsieur  le  Prince, — 

"The  undersigned  begs  leave  to  say,  that  in  the  audience 
which  the  emperor  so  graciously  granted  to  him  yesterday, 
he  was  requested  by  his  imperial  majesty  to  state  to  your 
excellency  the  object  of  his  mission  to  Russia  ;  and  he  takes 
great  pleasure  in  saying  that  his  imperial  majesty  very  kindly 
promised  to  take  the  subject  into  consideration  at  the  earli- 
est convenient  day.  The  undersigned,  therefore,  in  com- 
pliance with  the  desire  of  his  imperial  majesty,  respectfully 
submits  to  your  excellency  the  following  statement : 

"  At  the  request  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  one  of 
the  most  important  and  distinguished  of  the  religious  insti- 
tutions of  the  United  States,  and  at  the  instance  of  many 
individual  Christians  of  great  influence  in  his  country,  wlio 
feel  a  deep  interest  in  all  that  concerns  the  moral  and  re- 
ligious progress  of  Russia,  the  undersigned  has  come  to  St. 
Petersburg  to  inquire  whether  in  any  way  American  Chris- 


MEMORAXDUM  TO  PEIXCE  GORTCHAKOFF. 


297 


tians  can  aid  their  brethren  in  tliis  great  empire  in  any 
efforts  b'/  which  the  influence  of  Christianity  niav  be  still 
more  widely  diffused  among  the  many  millions  who  speak 
the  Riiss  and  other  languages. 

"  In  particular,  the  Christians  of  America  will  be  most 
happy  to^^eooperate.  in  any  way  which  his  imperial  majesty 
may  approye  of,|in^tha,^miblication  and  distribution  of  the^ 
Sacred  Scripture^:  for  they  contain  the  great  doctrines  of 
salyation  whicli  all  true  Christians  belieye  to  be  essential 
and  fundamental,  whateyer  their  opinions  may  be  respecting 
forms  of  Church  goyernment.  or  modes  of  public  worship. 
They  belieye  that  it  is  greatly  to  be  desired  that  all  who 
can  read  sliould  possess  the  Word  of  God.  whicli  is  the 
great  and  only  unerring  source  of  knowledge  respecting 
the  Infinite  God.  and  that  salyation  which  all  men  needj 
The  undersigned  is  entirely  confident  that  your  excellency 
concurs  in  this  sentiment,  and  therefore  deems  it  unneces- 
sary to  say  eyen  a  word  to  enforce  it. 

"  The  undersigned  is  also  confident,  that  your  excellency 
will  asrree  with  him.  and  with  the  Cliristians  in  America 
whom  he  represents,  in  the  belief  that  an  enlightened  reli-  ^ 
gious  sentiment  peryading  the  hearts  of  its  subjects,  is  the 
best  foundation  of  ciyil  goyernment,  and  the  surest  guar-  ^^,y 
antee  of  obedience  to  its  laws,  whatever  the  form  of  that 
goyernment  may  be. 

*'  In  the  reign  of  Alexander  I.,  there  was  a  National  Bible 
Society  in  Russia,  wliich  for  several  years  did  much  to  print 
and  circulate  the  Bible  in  both  the  modern  and  ancient 
Russ,  as  well  as  in  other  languages  of  the  empire.  Whether, 
in  view  of  the  little  that  has  been  done  since,  by  any  agency 
which  it  was  hoped  might  replace  it,  it  would  not  be  well 
to  resuscitate  that  society,  or  create  some  new  agency  that 
will  effectiyely  do  the  work  (to  be  under  the  control  and 
management  of  citizens  and  residents),  is  a  question  which 
the  undersigned  would  most  respectfully  submit  to  the  con- 


298  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BATRD. 

sideration  of  your  excellency.  He  will  only  add,  tliat  in 
either  ease  the  Christians  of  America  would  l)e  most  happy 
to  render  all  the  aid  which  it  may  be  in  their  power  to  give. 

''  In  conclusion,  the  undersigned  begs  leave  to  assure  his 
Excellency  Prince  Gortchakoff,  that  he  and  many  thou- 
sands of  his  countrymen  rejoice  in  the  progress  which  this 
great  empire  is  making,  in  the  arts,  in  commerce,  in  the 
development  of  its  great  material  resources  ;  and  they 
earnestly  hope  that  a  corresponding  progress  may  be  made 
in  all  that  concerns  the  intellectual,  moral,  and  reiigiouj 
interests — ^believing  that  a  proper  equilibrium  in  this 
respect  is  of  the  highest  importance  to  the  welfare  of  any 
country. 

"  The  undersigned  begs  his  Excellency  Prince  Gortchakoff 
to  accept  his  most  respectful  assurance  of  the  great  consi- 
deration with  which  he  remains  his   obliged  and  humble 

servant, 

'^  R.  BAIRD. 

"  Sf.  Peiershurg,  August  ^f-.  1857." 

Dr.  Baird  had  now  accom}>lished  all  that  he  had  hoped 
to  attain  at  St  Petersburg.  He  had  brought  the  subject 
that  was  dear  to  his  own  heart  before  the  Emperor  Alex- 
ander, supported  and  enforced  by  the  valuable  recommen- 
dation of  his  uncle,  the  King  of  Prussia.  Before  his  depar- 
ture, however,  the  way  was  opened,  in  the  providence  of 
God,  for  securing  a  still  greater  impulse  for  the  cause  of 
the  Bible  in  Russia,  and  for  bringing  the  weight  of  public 
sentiment  to  bear  upon  the  Holy  Synod  of  the  Greek 
Church  in  that  country,  so  as  to  compel  it  to  undertake 
itself  the  work  of  translating  and  circulating  the  Bible  in 
the  modern  Russ.  And  here  again  we  must  let  Dr.  Baird 
speak  for  himself  respecting  these  interesting  incidents 
(St.  Petersburg,  Sept.  5,  1857): 

"  I  informed  you,  I  beliave,  that  the  emperor  had  invited 


THE  FETE  AT  PETERHOFF. 


299 


me  to  the  great  Fete  which  was  to  take  place  that  night 
(last  Tuesday,  Sept.  1)  at  Peterhoff,  iu  honor  of  the  mar- 
riage of  his  brother,  the  Grand  Duke  Michael.  The  Prince 
and  Princess  of  Oldenburg  (who  are  considered  a  portion 
of  the  imperial  family,  the  prince  being  a  cousin  of  the 
emperor,  and  his  oldest  daughter  being  married  to  the 
Grand  Duke  Nicholas,  one  of  the  emperor's  brothers)  hav- 
ing invited  me  to  dine  with  them  that  day,  and  spend  the 
night  at  their  house,  I  went  down  in  the  afternoon.  At 
the  prince's  table  I  met  Prince  Wrazemsky,  the  most  dis- 
tinguished writer  in  Russia,  a  popular  poet,  and  withal  the 
"  Aid,"  or  fir«t  officer  in  the  Bureau  of  Count  Xorop,  the 
Minister  of  Public  Instruction.  With  him  I  had  much 
conversation  on  the  object  of  my  visit.  I  found  him  far 
better  acquainted  with  the  subject  of  Bible-publishing,  as 
far  as  the  Holy  Synod  is  concerned,  than  either  Prince 
Gortchakoff,  or  Count  Maltsoff,  whom  I  had  previously 
seen,  as  I  informed  you  in  my  letter  of  Tuesday. 

"  After  the  dinner,  I  stated  to  the  Prince  of  Oldenburg, 
that  if  the  s\Tiod  would  do  the  work  of  supplying  the 
empire  with  the  Word  of  God,  I  was  quite  sure  that  the 
American  Bible  Society  would  be  as  ready  to  cooperate 
with  that  body,  if  its  aid  should  be  needed,  as  with  any 
Bible  Society.  He  was  delighted  with  the  suggestion,  and 
asked  me  to  allow  him  to  state  something  definite  in  the 
shape  of  a  proposition.  I  told  him  that  I  was  not  author- 
ized to  represent  the  society  in  that  manner,  but  I  would 
venture  to  assure  him,  and,  through  him,  the  synod,  that  if 
that  body  would  go  on  vigorously  Avith  the  good  work, 
they  might  depend  upon  receiving  from  the  American  Bible 
Society  the  means  requisite  to  print  10,000,  or  even  20,000 
copies  of  the  New  Testament  in  any  language  spoken  in  the 
Russian  Empire,  provided  that  the  cost  did  not  exceed  20 
kopecks  "  a  piece,  substantially  bound  ;  and  this  I  felt  con- 

*  About  15  cents. 


300 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


fideiit  tlie  society  would  do  annually,  when  assured  that 
their  aid  is  both  needed  and  desired. 

"  At  'the  Fete,  the  Prince  introduced  me  to  Count 
Tolstoy,  Procureur  of  the  Holy  Synod,  and  stated  to  him 
my  proposition.  The  count  was  evidently  struck  by  it, 
and  entered  into  many  details  respecting  the  work  of  the 
synod,  so  far  as  publisliing  the  Scriptures  goes.  He 
assured  me  that  the  Russo-Greek  Church  is  not  opposed  to 
the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures,  but  that  the  difficulty,  so 
far  as  the  Russ-speaking  people  are  in  question,  relates 
solely  to  the  translation,  the  synod  being  unwilling  to  cir- 
culate the  modern  version,  because  it  is  not  good,  and 
preferring  the  Slavon  (or  old  Russian)  which,  he  said,  the 
common  people  in  the  central  parts  of  the  Empire  under- 
stand quite  well,  and  far  better  than  the  higher  classes. 
He  spoke,  as  the  Prince  of  Oldenburg  has  done,  of  a  new 
translation  which  the  synod  are  engaged  upon,  or  are  pro- 
jecting. He  informed  me  that  the  synod  is  now  engaged 
in  publishing  the  Scriptures  in  various  languages,  at 
Moscow  and  Kief,  where  its  printing  operations  are  carried 
on.  In  answer  to  my  inquiry  '  How  many  copies  are  now 
printed  or  published  annually?'  he  told  me  that  he  could 
not  say  with  accuracy,  but  he  promised  to  have  a  statement 
made  out  for  me,  and  to  send  it  to  me,  if  possible,  before 
mv  departure.  .  .  .  The  count  stated  that  he  was 
under  the  impression  that  100,000  of  the  New  Testament 
in  Slavon  were  sold  last  year  at  the  Synod's  depot  at  Kief 
alone !  If  this  statement  even  approximates  the  truth,  it 
furnishes  just  grounds  for  rejoicing. 

"  In  regard  to  my  proposition,  he  expressed  the  opinion 
that  the  synod  have  means  enough,  or  can  have  them,  to  do 
the  work.  But  the  Prince  of  Oldenburg  entertains  quite 
a  different  opinion.  He  has  engaged  to  follow  up  the  mat- 
ter, and  to  inform  me  of  any  and  every  opening  of  the  door 
for  the  operations  of  the  American  Bible  Society.     The 


THE  FETE  AT  PETERHOFF.  -toi 

count  engaged  to  lay  my  proposition  before  the  synod. 
Whether  he  does  or  not,  it  will  certainly  be  there,  for  it  be- 
came known  to  many  in  the  palace  last  Tuesday  night,  not 
throuo-h  me,  but  throuo-h  the  Prince  of  Oldenbura',  who  was 
but  too  glad  to  get  hold  of  anything  by  which  the  synod 
may  be  stirred  up  to  do  their  duty. 

"  But  what  now  remains  to  be  done  ?  So  far  as  I  am 
concerned  I  mean  to  see  the  King  of  PriLssia  on  my  return 
to  Berlin,  and  ask  him  to  grant  me  half  an  hour  in  which 
to  tell  him  exactly  how  things  are  here,  and  to  herj  him  to 
talk  to  his  nephew,  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  fully  and 
plainly,  and  conjure  him  to  interfere  to  have  the  rigor 
of  the  censorship  on  books  greatly  diminished  on  religious 
books,  especially  on  such  as  in  no  way  attack  the  National 
Church.  As  he  has  abolished  the  duties  on  imported 
books,  perhaps  he  will  be  induced  to  consider  the  question 
of  censorship.  ...  I  shall  also  endeavor  to  persuade 
the  king  to  urge  upon  the  emperor  the  importance  of  ex- 
erting his  influence  with  the  synod  to  induce  that  body  to 
do  the  work,  if  it  be  not  practicable  to  resuscitate  the  old 
Russian  Bible  Society,  or  have  a  new  one." 

Dr.  Baird  was  not,  however,  without  serious  apprehension 
lest,  after  all,  these  efforts  might  prove  unavailing.  The 
emperor  was  an  amiable  and  well-disposed  man,  but  had 
not  the  faith  necessary  to  make  him  take  such  a  decided 
interest  in  the  subject  as  he  should  do.  He  seemed  dis- 
posed to  leave  almost  everything  to  his  ministers  of  state  ; 
thus  presenting  a  marked  contrast  to  his  father,  Nicholas, 
the  members  of  whose  cabinet,  during  the  last  years  of  his 
reign,  were  mere  "  cyphers,"  whilst  he,  himself,  was  the  gov- 
ernment. Yet,  whatever  might  be  the  result  of  the  attempt 
to  secure  the  dissemination  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  the 
modern  Russ,  the  duty  of  American  Christians  was  mani- 
fest. In  view  of  the  fact  that  there  were  twenty  millions 
in  Russia  who  were  not  adherents  of  the  National  Chui'ch, 


302 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


and  who  were  accessible  to  the  truth,  the  Bible  ought  to  be 
given  to  tliein — to  the  Esthoniaiis  and  other  inhabitants 
of  the  Baltic  provinces,  to  the  Poles,  to  the  Jews,  and  to 
tlie  natives  of  the  sliores  of  the  sea  of  Azof  and  of  the  Cas- 
pian sea.  And  if  permission  to  print  the  modern  Russ 
Scrip+urcs  in  Russia  were  yet  denied,  he  proposed  to  dis- 
tribute them  to  the  numerous  travelers  from  that  country 
at  Paris  and  London,  at  Geneva,  Frankfort  and  Berlin. 

Having  accomplished  everything  which  seemed  to  be  pos- 
sible in  Russia,  by  influencing,  as  far  as  he  could,  the  minds 
of  those  to  whom  he  had  access,  so  as  to  render  them  favor- 
able to  the  work  of  publishing  and  circulating  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  he  left  St.  Petersburg  and  his  kind  friends  there 
for  Berlin,  where  the  Evangelical  Alliance  was  to  open  its 
sessions  on  the  10th  of  September.  At  this,  its  first  formal 
meeting,  he  presented  an  address  from  American  Christians 
"  expressive  of  sincere  regard  for,  and  heartfelt  sympathy 
with,  all  those  brethren  in  Germany,  and  all  other  countries 
of  the  Continent  who  are  striving  for  the  defense  of  the 
'  Truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,'  and  laboring  for  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Reiterating  the  articles 
adopted  at  London,  in  1846,  the  signers  of  this  document 
declared  that,  "  on  these  great  and  fundamental  doctrines 
of  the  Christian  faith  they  all  thought  alike,  whatever  dif- 
ferences of  opinion  there  might  be  among  tliem,  whether  of 
a  theological  or  ecclesiastical  nature."  The  address  was 
from  Dr.  Baird's  pen,  and  had  been  adopted  by  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  (New  School)  and 
the  General  Synod  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Church,  and 
had  received  the  signatures  of  nearly  a  tliousand  Christian 
gentlemen — clergymen  and  laymen — among  whom  were 
one  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  ten 
or  twelve  other  Judges,  a  large  number  of  members  of 
Congress  and  of  the  Legislatures  of  the  States,  several 
Governors,    five    Bishops    of   the    Protestant    Episcopal 


THE  BERLIN  CONFERENCE.  303 

Church,  two  of  the  Moravian,  and  one  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal,  as  well  as  professors  of  theological  seminaries 
and  pastors  of  churches  in  every  State  of  the  Union.  It 
was  a  noble  and  tangible  proof  of  the  essential  unity  of  all 
true  Christian  believers. 

Dt-.  Baird  p?'esented  tc  th^  Evargelical  Alliance 
at  Berlin  no  such  extended  notice  of  the  condition 
and  prospects  of  Religion  in  America,  as  he  had  read  be- 
fore the  gatherings  at  London  and  Paris,  in  1851  and  1855  ; 
this  office  was  ably  performed  chiefly  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Schaff, 
and  Dr.  Baird  confined  himself  to  a  few  suggestions  on  the 
subject  of  emigration  to  the  United  States. 

One  of  the  most  pleasing  incidents  attending  the  Con- 
ference, was  a  presentation  at  Potsdam  to  the  King  and 
Queen  of  Prussia,  as  well  as  to  the  Crown  Prince,  their 
brother.  The  invitation  was  extended  to  all  the  members 
of  the  body.  Among  the  Americans  present  was  Dr.  Baird, 
who  was  singled  out  by  the  king  with  great  cordiality,  and 
was  requested  to  present  his  countrymen  to  the  queen. 

The  subject  of  the  circulation  of  the  Bible  in  Russia  was 
brought  before  the  Alliance,  and  a  committee,  a  member  of 
which  was  Dr.  Baird,  was  appointed  to  draft  a  respectful 
and  prudently-worded  memorial  to  the  emperor,  who  was 
then  making  a  visit  to  his  uncle  of  Prussia.  It  was  shortly 
afterwards  presented  through  the  proper  officer  to  his  im- 
perial majesty,  and  was  received  in  a  kindly  manner. 
Dr.  Baird,  on  account  of  his  recent  interview  with  the 
emperor,  declined  to  be  placed  on  this  deputation. 

Leaving  Berlin  before  the  close  of  the  sessions  of  the 
Alliance,  he  returned  by  way  of  Amsterdam  to  London. 
Here  he  met  and  addressed  several  hundred  members  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  on  "  the  state  and 
prospects  of  the  religious  world,  and  particularly  of 
Europe ;"  and  on  the  following  day  detailed  to  the  Com- 
mittee of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  the  results 


304  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  RAIRD. 

of  his  late  visit  to  Russia,  giving  some  suggestions  respect- 
ing the  direction  which  the  labors  of  that  society  ought 
there  to  assume. 

On  the  26th  of  September,  1857,  he  embarked  at  Liver- 
pool, and  reached  liome  after  a  prosperous  voyage. 

Our  account  of  this,  Dr.  Baird's  eighth  visit  to  Europe, 
will  not  be  complete,  unless  we  advert  to  the  remarkable 
events  which  seem,  in  part,  if  not  mainly,  to  have  resulted 
from  it.  Under  the  pressure  of  the  Imperial  Government, 
the  Holv  Svnod  of  the  Russian  Church  was  at  lena'th  in- 
duced  to  undertake  what  it  had  long  promised — the  publi- 
cation of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  the  modern  Russ.  Several 
years  were  required  to  bring  about  this  consummation.  In 
an  article  on  this  subject  in  the  "  Christian  World"  for  Sep- 
tember, 1861,  Dr.  Baird,  announcing  the  joyful  news,  ex- 
claimed :  "  We  hasten  to  give  God  the  praise,  and  say  that 
the  Xew  Testament  has  been  translated,  and  large  editions 
of  the  Gospels  and  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  have  been 
printed,  and  that  the  Epistles  and  the  book  of  Revelation 
soon  will  be.  A  Russian  lady,  writing  to  a  friend  in  Eng- 
land lately,  stated  that  she  had  seen,  with  great  joy,  a  ven- 
erable old  man  sitting  behind  a  table  covered  with  the 
Sacred  books,  in  the  most  fashionable  street  in  St.  Peters- 
burg, and  selling  the  Gospels  and  religious  tracts  to  the 
passers-by,  and  that  many  stopped  to  buy."  In  the  same 
periodical,  in  tlie  month  of  March  following,  he  describes 
the  ])rogress  of  the  good  work  more  fully  :  ''  The  entire 
New  Testament  is  now  translated  and  published,  and  the 
translation  of  tiie  Old  Testament  is  going  forward  !  It  will 
be  a  great  day  for  Russia  when  the  entire  Bible  is  published 
in  the  Modern  Slavonic,  or  Russ,  the  language  of  the  fifty 
millions  of  people  who  may  be  reckoned  adherents  of  the 
National  Greek  Church  of  the  Empire.  And  all  this  not 
only  with  the  sanction,  but  at  the  command  of  the  Govern- 
m'ent !    The  Holy  Synod  must  feel  deeply  mortified,  if  they 


THE  BIBLE  IN  THE  BUSS, 


305 


have  any  sense  of  shame,  to  find  themselves  outstripped  in 
zeal  for  the  Word  of  God  by  the  secular  government.  That 
body,  with  the  late  Archbishop  of  St.  Petersburg  and  Novo- 
gorod  at  their  head — the  '  venerable  Seraphim' — who  cer- 
tainly had  a  name  sufficiently  magnificent — promised  the 
late  Emperor  Nicholas,  in  the  first  months  of  1826,  that  if 
he  would  abolish  the  Russian  Bible  Society,  they  would 
supply  the  empire  with  the  Sacred  Scriptures — if  the  work 
must  be  done  !  Thirty-five  years  passed  away,  and  they  did 
nothing  towards  getting  out  an  edition  of  the  Bible  in  the 
modern  or  vernacular  language  of  Russia,  but  contented 
themselves  with  publishing  the  Word  of  God  in  the  old 
Slavonic,  a  language  quite  unintelligible  to  the  masses  or 
to  any  considerable  portion  of  the  common  people,  unless  it 
be  in  Old  Muscovy,  the  central  part  of  the  empire.  But 
let  us  hope  that  a  new  and  glorious  era  will,  before  a  very 
long  time  passes  away,  commence  to  dawn  upon  that  great 
country,  which,  geographically  considered,  is  larger  than 
all  the  rest  of  Europe.  Here  is  the  extract  of  the  letter 
referred  to  [from  the  Princess  of  Oldenburg,  cousin  to  the 
Emperor]  :  '  We  are  very  busy,  just  now,  preparing  for  a 
journey  to  Germany  and  Switzerland,  and  leave  soon.  I 
was  very  much  pleased  to  hear  that  both  yourself  and 
family  were  quite  well,  and  trust  that  you  all  continue  so. 
The  traiislation  of  the  Bible  into  the  Eussian  language  is 
progressing.  Many  copies  of  the  New  Testament  have  teen 
^published  and  sold,  but  the  Old  Testament  has  not  come 
out  yet.  We  are,  thank  God,  all  well.  The  Prince  and 
our  children  unite  with  me  in  very  kind  remembrances.' " 

The  report  of  the  American  Bible  Society  for  the  same 
year,  1862,  states  that  200,000  copies  of  the  Gospels  in 
Modern  Russ  have  been  printed  by  the  Holy  Synod,  and 
have  been  circulated  in  Russia  ! 

Who  shall  say  how  much  of  the  good  that  may  result 
from  the  perusal  of  these  copies  of  the  Divine  Revelation, 

20 


3o6  LIFE  OF  REV  DR.  BAIRD. 

and  from  the  millions  that  are  yet  to  follow  in  their  train, 
will  be  owing  to  the  exertions  of  a  native  of  a  distant  land, 
who  for  years  "  feeling  that  something  ought  to  be  done  to 
cause  the  Holy  Scriptures  to  have  a  greater  circulation  in 
Russia,"  "  reflected  on  this  subject,  and  prayed  over  it,"  and 
was  finally  led  in  a  simple  and  unostentatious  way  to  intro- 
duce it  to  consideration  at  the  very  fountain  head  of 
influence  for  the  whole  empire  ? 


CHAPTER   XXVIT. 

BECOMES  SECRETARY  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  AID  SOCIETY.  LIT- 
ERARY LABORS.  HIS  RETURN  TO  THE  AMERICAN  AND 
FOREIGN  CHRISTIAN  UNION.  NINTH  AND  LAST  VISIT  TO 
EUROPE  (1861).  THE  EVANGELICAL  ALLIANCE  CONFER- 
ENCE  AT   GENEVA.      RETURN   TO   THE   UNITED    STATES. 

1859-1861. 

FOR  more  than  four  years  Dr.  Baird  had  remained  iin- 
couuecced  witli  any  of  the  relioious  societies  wlien,  in 
1859,  he  was  invited  to  become  tlie  Secretary  of  the  South- 
ern Aid  Society,  an  organization  which  had  been  formed  for 
the  purpose  of  carrying  the  Gospel  into  those  parts  of  tlie 
Southern  States  of  the  Union  whose  religious  wants  had 
hitherto  been  neglected.  In  this  home  missionary  work, 
the  society  employed  some  ministerial  agents  of  its  own, 
but  most  frequently  devoted  its  funds  to  the  support  of  poor 
and  feeble  churches.  To  the  desire  of  tlie  directors  he 
thought  his  duty  to  accede. 

About  the  time  to  which  we  refer  he  ceased,  to  a  great 
extent,  from  delivering  his  courses  of  lectures  on  Europe, 
which  rendered  necessary  more  frequent  and  longer  ab- 
sences from  his  Iiome  than  were  advisable  at  his  advancing 
age  ;  and  the  time  that  had  been  previously  consecrated  to 
these  was  chiefly  given  to  literary  labors.  For  one  promi- 
nent journal  in  the  city  of  New  York,  he  wrote  a  long  series 
of  articles  upon  the  stirring  events  then  occurring  on  the 

(307) 


^o8  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

Eastern   continent.      To   another  he  contributed  a  large 
Tiumber  of  papers  on  the  religious  condition  and  movements 

-of  his  own  country. 

The  savage  massacre  of  the  Maronite  Christians  by  the 
Druses  of  ]iiount  Lebanon,  in  the  year  1860,  attracted  tlic  at- 
tention and  awakened  the  deepest  indignation  of  the  entire 
civilized  world.  In  this  country,  as  in  Western  Europe, 
a  movement  was  at  once  made  to  alleviate  the  misery  of  the 
thousands  of  sufferers  whose  homes  had  been  burned,  whose 
fields  and  orchards  had  been  ravaged,  and  whose  natural 
protectors  had  fallen  a  prey  to  the  sword  of  their  relentless 
foe.  Dr.  Baird  was  one  of  the  first  to  interest  himself  in 
the  work  of  setting  the  wants  of  the  poor  Maronites  that 
were  famishing  in  the  streets  of  Beirut  before  the  American 
public  ;  and,  as  secretary  of  the  committee  appointed  for 
the  purpose,  was  indefatigable  in  procuring  for  them  mate- 
rial help. 

In  February,  1861,  Dr.  Baird  signified  his  intention  to 

"^  resign  his  connection  with  the  Southern  Aid  Society,  and 
resumed,  by  invitation  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  the  posi- 
tion which  he  had  formerly  held  as  Corresponding  Secre- 
tary of  the  American  and  Foreign  Christian  Union.  More 
than  ever  convinced  of  the  duty  of  Protestant  Christians 
in  America  to  labor  for  the  spread  of  evangelical  religion 
in  Europe,  his  heart  was  filled  with  the  liveliest  encourage- 
ment when  contemplating  the  wide  fields  now  thrown  open 
for  the  first  time  to  Christian  exertion.  No  longer  confined 
to  France  and  Belgium,  where  the  first  laborers  supported 
by  American  contributions  had  been  employed,  Protestants 
beheld  almost  the  entire  Italian  peninsula,  under  the  sway  of 
a  single  enlightened  monarch,  possessing  not  only  a  measure 
of  political  liberty  to  which  it  had  long  been  a  stranger, 
but  also  freedom  of  conscience  such  as  it  had  never  enjoyed. 
The  Bible,  of  which,  when  Dr.  Baird  first  visited  Italy,  only 
a  copy  or  two  could  be  introduced  by  an  occasional  traveler, 


LAST  VISIT  TO  EUROPE.  309 

with  the  greatest  precautions  against  discovery,  was  now 
publicly  sold  in  the  streets  of  Milan,  Florence  and  Naples, 
or  hawked  by  colporteurs  from  house  to  house  throughout 
the  dominions  of  Victor  Emanuel.  And  even  Austria,  where 
despotism  and  intolerance  had  gone  hand  in  hand,  had 
within  a  few  months  granted  a  new  charter  by  which  equal- 
ity of  support  and  of  favor  in  the  sight  of  the  law  Avas  guar- 
anteed to  all  religious  denominations.  The  great  work, 
therefore,  to  which  Dr.  Baird  had  devoted  his  life,  was  ad 
vancing  in  Europe  ;  and  it  was  with  the  view  of  helping  to 
present  its  importance  to  the  minds  of  American  Christians 
in  a  clearer  light,  and  of  inducing  them  to  put  forth  greater 
energy  in  its  prosecution  abroad,  that  he  again  entered  the 
service  of  the  Christian  Union  ;  to  spend  the  last  two  years 
of  his  life  in  vigorous  exertion  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of 
Christ,  not  relaxing  his  efforts  nor  putting  off  his  armor 
till  himself  summoned  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  re- 
wards of  a  well-spent  Christian  life  in  another  and  better 
world. 

On  the  17th  of  August,  1861,  he  left  New  York  for  South- 
ampton, intending  to  make  a  short  visit  to  Europe,  in  order 
to  superintend  the  operations  of  the  society,  and  be  present 
at  the  meeting  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  at  Geneva.  In 
two  weeks  he  reached  Geneva.  In  the  religious  services 
held  on  the  day  after  his  arrival,  preparatory  to  the  open- 
ing of  the  sessions  of  the  Conference,  three  short  addresses 
were  delivered — in  French,  English  and  German.  The 
second  was  made  by  Dr  Baird,  who,  "  referring  to  the  very 
serious  aspect  of  affairs  in  America,  requested  that  much 
prayer  might  be  offered  up  in  its  behalf  during  the  Confer- 
ence, and  especially  that  the  Christians  of  Europe  might  be 
invited  by  the  Conference  to  join  the  Americans  on  the  dr.  / 
of  humiliation  and  prayer  appointed  by  President  Lincoln 
— the  26th  inst."  The  suggestion  was  followed,  and  an 
appropriate  resolution  on  the  subject,  embodying  the  invi- 


310  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR  BAIRD. 

tation  of  the  Conference  soon  went  forth  on  the  telegraphic 
wires  all  over  Europe.* 

During  each  of  the  ten  days  for  which  the  Conference 
continued  there  were  two  sessions,  except  on  Tliursday, 
September  5,  when  no  morning  meeting  was  held,  owing  to 
the  interesting  fact  that  this  day  was  the  annual  fast  first 
instituted  immediately  after  the  tidings  of  the  massacre 
of  St.  Bartholomew's  Day  reached  Geneva,  and  when  the 
gravest  apprehensions  were  felt  lest  a  preconcerted  move- 
ment tending  to  the  extirpation  of  the  Reformed  doctrines 
would  make  the  city  of  Calvin  and  Beza  the  next  victim  of 
its  cruel  designs.  From  that  time  to  this,  a  period  of  little 
less  than  three  centuries,  the  observance  has  been  uninter- 
ruptedly  maintained,  in  spite  of  efforts  on  the  part  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  party  to  procure  its  repeal,  and  of  the 
Federal  Government  of  Switzerland  to  merge  it  in  the 
National  Fast.  The  latter  proposition  threatened,  a  few 
years  ago,  to  cause  a  revolution  among  the  populace,  who 
were  exceedingly  attached  to  the  time-hallowed  custom. 
At  one  of  the  sessions  of  the  Conference,  devoted  to  the 

*  The  Resolution  refen-ed  to  was  the  following : 

"  The  Conference  of  Evangelical  Christians,  assembled  at  Geneva  from 
various  countries,  desire  he/eby  to  convey  to  their  brethren  of  the  United 
States  of  America  an  expression  of  deep  sympathy  under  the  sad  and  terri- 
ble crisis  in  which  they  are  now  placed  ;  they  would  unite  in  earnest  and 
persevering  prayer  that  this  calamity  may  be  overruled  by  God  to  the  fur- 
therance of  the  interests  of  humanity,  of  the  cause  of  freedom,  and  of  our 
common  Christianity.  Impressed  with  the  conviction  that  the  origin  of 
this  war  is  to  be  traced  to  slavery,  the  Conference  would  entreat  Aln)ighty 
God  to  dispose  the  hearts  of  His  own  people  in  America  to  use  the  means 
dictated  by  wisdom  and  Christian  jirinciple  for  the  speedy  and  complet'? 
suppression  of  a  system  alike  opposed  to  the  spirit  of  the  Gos])el,  and  to 
the  peace,  prosperity,  and  progress  of  that  great  people.  And  whereas  our 
brethren  of  the  United  States  have  appointed  Thursday  the  26th  inst.,  as  a 
day  of  i^pecial  humiliation  and  prayer,  this  Conference  earnestly  invites 
their  fellow-Christians  of  various  countries  to  unite  with  their  brethren 
there,  before  the  throne  of  grace  in- humiliation  and  prayer,  remembering  the 
words  of  -cripture,  '  If  one  member  suffer,  all  the  members  suffer  with  ii.'  " 


THE  CONFERENCE  AT  GENEVA.  31, 

consideration  of  religion  in  the  United  States,  Dr.  Baird 
read  a  long  and  interesting  paper  on  '•  The  Influence  of  (fS( 
Civil  and  Religious  Liberty  on  Roman  Catholicism  in  the 
United  States  of  America."  And  in  one  of  the  "  special 
meetings"  on  the  subject  of  the  American  War,  he  presented 
a  statement  respecting  the  present  position  of  affairs  in  the 
United  States.  ''  He  took  his  stand,"  says  the  report  in  the 
ofiicial  account  of  the  proceedings,  "  upon  the  Constitution, 
which  left  no  doubt  as  to  the  illegality  of  secession,  and 
which  had  prevented,  at  the  same  time,  the  North  from  in- 
terfering directly  with  the  slavery  question.  Government, 
if  it  had  declared  the  abolition  of  slavery,  would  have  cut 
off  all  hope  of  reunion,  and  would  have  lost  besides  the 
four  frontier  States.  The  war  would,  however,  be  favorable 
to  the  cause  of  emancipation.  He  complained  of  the  tone 
of  the  [London]  "Times,"  which,  he  said,  had  done  infinite 
mischief  in  America,  and  also  of  the  observations  made  at 
the  Cheever  meeting  in  London,  from  which  it  would  natu- 
rally be  inferred  that  the  North  was  not  sincere  in  its  desire 
for  the  ultimate  extinction  of  slavery,  because  not  prepared 
to  support  at  once  the  policy  of  immediate  emancipa- 
tion." 

The  conference  was  a  deeply-interesting  one  to  Dr.  Baird  ; 
not  less  so  than  any  of  the  four  preceding  gatherings. 
Many  stirring  facts  respecting  the  spread  of  the  Gospel 
were  told.  Many  old  friends  and  true  were  greeted — 
Tronchin,  Gaussen,  Guillaume  Monod,  Grandpierre,  Malan, 
Cappadose,  Baptist  Noel,  Tholuck,  Culling  Eardley  ;  and 
new  friends,  also,  who  were  received  at  once  into  confidence 
and  esteem,  and  among  them  the  historian  Rosseeuw  de  St. 
Hilaire.  Little  did  this  circle  of  loving  disciples  of  one 
common  Lord  realize  that  to  many  of  them  this  would  be 
the  last  conference  of  evangelical  Christians  with  which 
they  would  meet  on  earth  :  and  that  before  the  advent  of 
another  at  least  five  of  their  number  would  be  enjoying  in 


312 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


a  brighter  world  a  more  perfect  and  unending  "  crramimion 
of  saints." 

Before  embarking  for  the  United  States  he  accepted  the 
invitation  of  some  gentlemen  at  Loudon  to  address  them  ; 
and  in  his  introductory  remarks  took  occasion  to  refer  to 
the  rebellion  of  the  Southern  States  of  the  American 
Union,  at  that  time  attracting  more  attention  than  ever 
before,  in  consequence  of  the  ill-success  of  the  national  arms 
at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run.  We  extract  an  account  of 
Lis  speech  from  the  letter  of  the  London  correspondent  of 
the  New  York  "  Evening  Post :" 

"  Dr.  Baird  last  night  delivered  a  brief  lecture  before  the  London 
Young  Men's  Christian  Union,  prefacing  his  remarks  with  some 
observations  on  the  existing  state  of  afiairs  in  America.  He  was 
very  plain  and  outspoken,  yet  withal  perfectly  gentlemanly  in  his 
manner,  and  I  regretted  that  some  of  the  neAys]3aj)er  reporters  were 
not  present,  so  as  to  convey  to  the  British  public  at  large  his  plain, 
outspoken  truths.  He  reminded  his  hearers  that  England  was  one 
hundi*ed  and  fifty  years,  France  fifty  years,  Spain  fifty  years,  and 
Holland  thirty  years  in  planting  and  23rotecting  on  American  soil 
negro  slavery,  and  now  we  are  sufi'ering  for  their  heritage  of  oppres- 
sion. If  these  countries  would  give  us  back  the  amount  they  made 
while  they  carried  on  the  slavetrade  to  America,  we  could  buy  all 
the  Southern  slaves  free,  and  send  them  to  Africa  in  the  bargain. 
This  was,  however,  impossible.  '  You  cannot  do  that,  but  you  can 
see  that  your  government  acts  impartially  during  this  great  contest. 
If  the  war  does  not  end  this  coming  spring,  I  fear  it  will  last 
two  or  three  years ;  but,  under  any  circumstances,  pray  that  God 
will  give  the  victory  to  the  right.  Some  of  you  complain  that  this 
is  not  openly  avowed  as  a  war  of  emancij)ation.  I  tell  you  the  ad- 
ministration has  no  right  to  make  such  a  proclamation,  but  that  the 
war  will  eventually  result  in  the  death  of  slavery  there  is  little  rea- 
son to  doubt.  Pray,  then,  that  God  will  give  the  victoiy  to  the 
right.' " 

On  the  31st  of  October,  1861,  Dr.  Baird  reached  the 
port  of  New  York.  This  was  the  last  time  that  he  crossed 
the  Atlantic.     From  the  time  of  his  first  sailing  to  Europe, 


LENGTH  OF  TRAVELS.  313 

in  the  early  part  of  1835,  he  had  made  in  all  nine  visits, 
crossing  the  ocean  eighteen  times.  But  during  those  re- 
peated voyages,  which  combined  would  have  taken  him 
more  than  twice  around  the  globe,  the  merciful  hand  of  God 
preserved  him  from  shipwreck  and  disaster  of  every  kind, 
although  the  vessels  on  which  at  least  five  of  those  trips 
were  made  were  subsequently  lost  at  sea  by  fire,  collision, 
storm,  or  unknown  causes.  Equally  signal  had  been  the 
care  extended  over  him  on  the  land.  In  the  cou-rse  of 
travels  by  land  and  water,  which  in  the  aggregate  amounted  •/ 
to  three  hundred  thousand  miles,  while  occasionally  sub-  ' 
jected  to  accidents  more  or  less  serious,  and  to  not  a  few 
detentions,  he  met  with  no  injury  of  any  moment.  This 
was  a  constant  cause  of  thanksgiving  to  Almighty  God. 


CHAPTEJR  XXVIII. 

DECLINE  OF  HEALTH.  HE  CONTINUES  HIS  LABORS.  SOLICI- 
TUDE FOR  THE  COUNTRY.  HIS  LAST  DAYS.  SICKNESS  AND 
DEATH.  HIS  CALMNESS  AND  PEACE  OF  MIND.  FUNERAL 
EXERCISES.  COMMEMORATIVE  SERMON  BY  REV.  WILLIAM 
B.  SPRAGUE,  D.D.  RESOLUTIONS  OF  RESPECT  PASSED  BY 
THE  BRITISH  EVANGELICAL  ALLIANCE. 

1862-8. 

THE  interval  between  Dr.  Baird's  return  from  his  last 
European  tour  and  liis  sudden  decease  was  less  than 
a  year  and  a  half.  This  period  was  devoted  to  an  active 
prosecution  of  his  labors  as  secretary  of  the  Cliristian 
Union,  whose  operations  and  resources  at  the  date  of  his 
resuming  that  position,  had  been  considerably  curtailed, 
chiefly  in  consequence  of  the  financial  difficulties  and 
gloom  of  the  winter  that  witnessed  the  outbreak  of  the 
rebellion.  Under  these  circumstances,  he  felt  himself 
bound  by  the  greatest  obligations  to  see  that  the  depart- 
ment of  Christian  exertion,  upon  which  he  had  entered, 
should  not  be  crippled  through  the  want  of  proper  support. 
And  so  faithfully  and  successfully  did  he  labor  that  his  last 
years  witnessed  a  marked  advance  in  the  resources  of  the 
cause  he  advocated.  But  it  must  be  confessed  that  this 
success  was  purcliased  at  a  heavy  cost.  His  constitution 
had  not  in  youth  been  altogether  vigorous,  and  throughout 
his  manhood  he  had  been  subject  occasionally  to  severe 
indisposition.     Yet,  at  the  same  time,  he  had  a  rnr -kable 

(314) 


DEGLiyE  OF  HEALTH.  3 1  - 

capacity  for  the  endurance  of  protracted  mental  and  phys- 
ical toil,  under  which  many  persons  of  even  more  robust 
health  would  have  succumbed.  For  years  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  travel  many  successive  nights  in  public  convey- 
ances. More  than  once  did  he  pass  in  stage-coach  or  "  dili- 
gence" full  one  half  of  the  nights  spent  on  a  tour  lasting 
six  weeks  or  two  months  ;  while  each  day  was  filled  with 
engrossing  cares.  Often,  after  a  day  of  active  labors,  he 
would  devote  the  greater  part  of  the  night  to  writing. 
Several  times,  when  on  the  eve  of  leaving  home  for  a  con- 
siderable journey,  he  spent  the  entire  night  in  his  study, 
and  subsequently  remarked  upon  the  singular  impressions 
produced  upon  him  by  unexpoctedly  hearing  the  sing- 
inor  of  the  birds,  usherinor  in  the  morninor.  Of  the  weiorht 
of  the  burdens  imposed  upon  him,  few  who  were  acquainted 
only  with  the  duties  of  his  official  positions,  arduous  as 
were  these,  formed  any  adequate  conception.  There  were 
special  benevolent  enterprises,  distinct  from  that  for  which 
he  principally  toiled — some  in  America,  others  in  Europe 
and  Asia — which  he  was  solicited  to  aid  by  his  voice  and 
pen ;  and  such  appeals  were  never  treated  with  neglect. 
His  extensive  acquaintance  on  the  continent  subjected  him 
to  the  necessity  of  devoting  not  a  little  time  to  endeavoring 
to  further  the  interests  of  a  large  number  of  foreigners 
more  or  less  indigent,  who  brought  letters  of  introduction 
from  esteemed  friends  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
The  desire  to  obtain  letters  of  introduction  to  prominent 
Christians  in  Europe  also  led  to  numerous  applications, 
often  from  persons  whom  he  scarcely  knew  ;  and  to  comply 
with  the  most  reasonable  of  these  requests  was  frequently 
the  work  of  a  number  of  hours. 

These  varied  labors,  in  connection  with  frequent  ex- 
posure while  traveling,  hastened  the  decay  of  his  strength. 
Painful  evidences  of  decline  were  but  too  perceptible  for 
Bome  months  previous  to  his  last  sickness  ;  altliough  friend- 


3i6  LIB'E  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

ship  and  affection  could  not  be  persuaded  that  it  was  so 
marked  and  threatening  as  the  more  impartial  judgment  of 
strangers  pronounced  it  to  be.  A  severe  cold  contracted 
ten  years  before,  had  not  passed  off  without  leaving  its 
traces  in  acute  sensitiveness  to  slight  changes  of  tempera- 
ture, and  in  a  complete  obliteration  of  the  sense  of  smell. 
For  several  weeks  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1860,  he  had 
been  so  seriously  ill  as  to  be  confined  to  his  house,  and  for 
a  part  of  the  time  to  his  bed.  His  last  trip  to  Europe 
instead  of  proving  beneficial,  only  aggravated  his  indisposi- 
tion, which  during  the  ensuing  winter  and  spring  became 
so  threatening  that  the  directors  of  tlie  American  and 
Foreign  Christian  Union  requested  him  to  give  three  or 
four  months  in  the  spring  and  summer  to  entire  rest  from 
labor.  But  his  sense  of  the  greatness  of  the  work  in  which 
he  was  allovv^ed  to  engage  was  so  oppressive,  that  he  would 
not  avail  himself  of  the  invitation,  and  he  continued  with 
unremitting  assiduity  to  perform  his  duties,  preaching 
generally  two  or  three  times  on  the  Sabbath,  and  spending 
the  rest  of  the  week  in  attending  to  the  routine  attaching 
to  the  secretaryship  of  the  society. 

Undoubtedly  the  progress  of  tlie  national  affairs  during 
the  last  few  years  was  not  without  its  influence  upon  his 
health.  From  the  commencement  of  the  grave  disputes 
that  preceded  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion,  his  mind  had 
been  full  of  anxiety  respecting  the  issue  of  the  impending 
crisis.  He  was  convinced  that  the  menaces  of  secession 
so  freely  uttered,  portended  more  serious  disturbance  than 
the  majority  of  persons,  accustomed  to  view  threats  of  dis- 
union as  the  mere  stock-in-trade  of  a  certain  class  of 
politicians,  could  bring  themselves  to  concede.  He  depre- 
cated, as  he  had  always  done,  the  violence  of  sectional 
feeling.  He  condemned  above  all  the  infatuation  of  those 
who  by  insisting  upon  the  extension  of  slavery,  in  defiance 
of  long-established  landmarks,  were   hastening  the  crisis 


DECLINE  OF  HEALTH. 


317 


when  tlie  decision  between  bondage  and  freedom  should  be 
left  to  the  arbitrament  of  the  sword.  And  when  the  sad 
prospect  was  changed  into  an  equally  sad  reality,  in  the 
gloom  of  the  winter  of  1860-61,  his  heart  ached  as  it  con- 
templated the  rivers  of  blood  that  must  flow  before  the 
final  decision  of  the  problem  of  the  future  of  this  country. 
The  fact  that  he  knew  so  many  of  the  principal  actors  lent 
additional  interest  to  the  struo-Q-le. 

After  the  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter,  and  when  the  step 
of  open  hostility  that  admitted  of  no  retreat,  had  been  pre- 
sumptuously taken  by  the  leaders  of  the  South,  it  was  with 
no  less  interest  than  anxiety  that  he  watched  the  thrilling 
events  of  the  day.  He  was  not  slow  in  forming  his  judg- 
ment as  to  the  continuance  of  the  war.  Believing  as  he 
did,  that  the  war  was  owing  in  no  slight  degree  to  the 
ignorance  of  each  section  respecting  the  otlier,  he  quickly 
perceived  that  both  underrated  the  valor,  endurance,  and 
resources  of  their  antagonists.  He  was  too  well  acquainted 
with  the  productiveness  of  the  extended  region  over  which 
the  spirit  of  disunion  had  obtained  the  sway,  to  yield  to  the 
fancies  of  those  Who  hoped  to  starve  the  South  into  sub- 
mission. And  he  knew  too  well  the  tenacity  of  purpose 
characteristic  of  both,  as  sprung  from  the  same  Anglo- 
Saxon  race,  to  doubt  that  they  would  put  forth  their 
energies  to  the  utmost  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  pur- 
poses. But  while  he  felt  forced,  almost  from  the  very  first, 
to  believe  that  the  war  could  not,  in  all  human  probability, 
be  a  short  one,  he  felt  great  confidence  in  the  ultimate 
issue.  He  could  not  bring  himself  to  believe  that  the 
North,  which,  with  all  its  short-comings,  was  essentially  in 
the  right,  could  be  finally  unsuccessful.  Its  sins  would  be 
chastised,  but  the  smile  of  God  would  rest  upon  its  effort 
to  sustain  free  institutions.  And,  therefore,  when  asked 
the  anxious  question  by  some  of  his  fellow-passengers  who 
were  from  the  South,  on  his  last  trip  to  Europe,  "  what  he 


S'iS  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD, 

thought  would  be  tlie  result  of  the  war,"  he  replied  that  he 
believed  that  '' the  Xorth  would  suffer  dreadfully,  but  the 
South  would  be  ruined." 

With  this  persuasion  that  the  efforts  of  the  Government 
to  reestablish  its  authority  throughout  the  entire  land, 
must,  under  the  Divine  blessing,  be  finally  crowned  with 
success,  it  is  not  strange  that  he  was  little  cast  down  by 
the  tidings  of  such  disasters  as  that  which  befell  the  army 
shortly  after  its  first  starting  from  Washington.  He  felt 
confident,  from  his  knowledge  of  history,  that  the  effects  of 
such  temporary  reverses  must  necessarily  be  beneficial,  if 
rightly  improved  ;  and  that  the  American  people  appre- 
ciating more  correctly  the  true  nature  and  extent  of  the 
struggle,  would  only  redouble  its  efforts  to  bring  it  to  a 
satisfactory  conclusion. 

From  the  warm  and  pleasant  weather  of  the  summer  of 
the  year  1862,  Dr.  Baird  did  not  receive  the  benefit  which 
he  had  anticipated.  His  alarming  symptoms  did  not,  how- 
ever, suffice  to  induce  liim  to  give  up  his  exertions,  and  en- 
deavor in  the  quiet  of  home  to  obtain  rest  and  vigor.  His 
belief  that  public  speaking  benefited  rather  than  injured 
him,  encouraged  him  to  continue  his  labors  in  the  pulpit. 
He  presented  the  interests  of  the  cause  of  European  missions 
for  the  last  time,  at  Elizabeth  City,  New  Jersey,  on  Sunday, 
March  1,  1863,  preaching  both  morning  and  evening.  Be- 
tween these  services  he  felt  so  much  indisposed  that  he  was 
obliged  to  retire  to  his  bed.  On  returning  home  the  next 
day.  and  relating  this  circumstance,  he  was  urged  to  relin- 
quish his  labors  for  a  few  weeks  at  least,  and  give  himself 
up  to  perfect  repose.  At  length  persuaded  that  it  was  his 
duty  to  do  so,  he  reluctantly  wrote  to  the  pastor  of  a  church 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  to  inform  him  of  his  ina- 
bility to  fulfill  his  engagement  to  preach  for  him  on  the  loth 
inst.  For  the  remainder  of  the  week  he  remained  at  home, 
spending  much  of  his  time  in  bed.     Laying  aside  his  official 


LAST  SICKNESS. 


319 


cares,  he  diverted  himself  with  reading  on  miscellaneous 
subjects.  But  the  most  considerable  portion  of  his  time 
was  passed  in  reading  and  meditating  upon  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. The  Word  of  God  had  always  been  his  delight. 
He  deplored  the  tendency  of  the  age  to  allow  other  and  un- 
inspired authors,  even  those  whose  works  were  full  of  sound 
religious  truth,  to  usurp  the  place  of  the  explicit  oracles  of 
the  Almighty;  and  he  endeavored  to  avoid  in  his  own  case 
this  pernicious  practice. 

He  was  probably  unaware  of  the  near  approach  of  death. 
The  attack  under  which  he  was  suffering  was  apparently 
not  very  different  from  others  which  he  had  previously  ex- 
perienced, and  neither  he  nor  his  family  were  apprehensive 
of  a  fatal  result.  Yet  much  that  he  said  clearly  indicated 
that  for  some  time  he  had  entertained  no  expectation  of  a 
long  life,  and  that  if  he  abstained  from  mentioning  his  fears, 
it  was  only  to  avoid  distressing  liis  family.  Certainly  the 
contemplation  of  eternal  things  was  familiar  and  delightful 
to  him.  He  loved  to  think  and  to  talk  of  the  glories  of  the 
better  world.  The  exemption  from  sorrow  and  harassing 
cares,  the  vigorous  and  unrestricted  exercise  of  all  the 
bodily  and  mental  faculties,  above  all  the  association  with 
blessed  spirits  and  with  the  Redeemer  himself,  were  among 
the  features  of  the  heavenly  state  upon  which  he  most  fre- 
quently dwelt.  On  one  day  when  he  felt  rather  better  than 
usual,  and  was  slowly  pacing  his  library,  he  gave  utterance 
to  a  regret  which  he  had  often  expressed,  that  his  avoca- 
tions were  so  engrossing  as  to  leave  him  little  time  to  read 
the  valuable  and  instructive  books  upon  the  shelves  around 
him.  He  said  to  one  of  his  children  that  he  envied  him  his 
opportunities  of  enriching  his  mind  with  the  facts  of  history 
and  the  noble  thoughts  of  great  writers.  But,  ho  added,  it 
is  a  cheering  thouglit  that  the  future  world  may  furnish  far 
greater  opportunities  for  the  acquisition  of  knowledge. 
Wiio  knows  but  the  ransomed  saints  sliall  be  employed  in 
executing  God's  commissions,  visiting  star  after  star,  and 


320  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

world  after  world,  in  each  beholding  new  wonders  of  His 
power  and  goodness.  As  he  spoke,  his  eye  kindled  and  his 
\oice  tremhled  with  emotion.  He  seemed  to  have  caught 
a  glimpse  of  the  sacred  employments  of  the  redeemed  in  the 
world  of  glory,  and  to  be  ravished  with  the  sight.  Little 
thought  either  the  speaker,  or  he  who  heard  him,  that  so 
few  hours  would  elapse  before  the  entrancing  prospect 
would  be  exchanged  for  blissful  fruition. 

For  a  week,  Dr.  Baird  appeared  to  be  slowly  regaining 
some  part  of  his  wonted  health;  but  on  Thursday,  March 
12,  the  first  unmistakable  signs  of  the  seiious  character  of 
his  disease  manifested  themselves,  in  the  form  of  a  hemor- 
rhage from  the  lungs.  The  suffering  was  great,  but  during 
the  day  there  was  considerable  apparent  improvement. 
When  he  experienced  a  slight  temporary  relief,  he  re- 
quested one  of  his  children  to  read  aloud  from  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  and  when  asked  what  part,  selected  the  book  of 
Habakkuk.  As  the  glowing  prophecies  were  repeated 
that  constitute  the  burden  of  the  seer,  he  frequently  inter- 
rupted the  reader  to  dilate  upon  and  explain  their  meaning. 
But  it  was  the  prayer  of  Habakkuk,  in  the  third  chapter j 
that  especially  moved  him;  and  he  seemed  most  of  all  to 
appropriate  the  beautiful  declaration:  "Although  the  fig 
tree  shall  not  blossom,  neither  shall  fruit  be  in  the  vines; 
the  labor  of  the  olive  shall  fail,  and  the  fields  shall  yield  no 
meat;  the  flock  shall  be  cut  off  from  the  fold,  and  tlierc 
shall  be  no  herd  in  the  stalls:  yet  I  will  rejoice  in  the  Lord, 
I  will  joy  in  the  God  of  my  salvation." 

Thursday  night  he  remained  in  about  the  same  condition  ; 
being,  however,  unable  to  lie  down,  on  account  of  the  diffi- 
culty of  breathing  which  he  experienced.  During  the 
wliole  of  Friday  he  grew  worse.  It  became  still  more 
difficult  for  him  to  speak,  and  his  nervous  system  was  so 
much  affected  that  when  his  beloved  wife  began  to  read  to 
him,  at  his  request,  the  beautiful  fifty-first  Psalm,  he  was 
unable  long  to  listen.     Towards  evening  the  progress  of 


UI8  LAST  HOURS. 


321 


the  disease  was  rapid,  his  mind  began  to  wander,  and  the 
fearful  difficulty  of  breathing,  characteristic  of  pneumonia, 
gave  great  reason  to  apprehend  that  he  could  not  survive 
the  night.  But  at  midnight  he  began  again  to  improve, 
and  on  Saturday  morning  he  was  apparently  better,  and 
evidently  delighted  to  have  his  entire  family  once  more 
around  him.  It  was  now  hoped  that  the  crisis  of  the 
disease  was  past,  but  experienced  physicians  clearly 
saw  that  it  was  otherwise.  The  comparative  quiet  of 
Saturday  was  succeeded  by  another  weary  night  of  suf- 
fering ;  and  yet  the  unfavorable  symptoms  were  attributed 
to  the  unavoidable  fluctuations  of  the  disease.  On  Sunday 
morning,  March  15,  his  strength  was  noticed  to  fail 
rapidly,  but  it  was  not  until  a  very  few  minutes  before  the 
fatal  moment,  that  he  was  known  to  be  dying.  A  second 
hemorrhage  took  place,  and  with  scarcely  a  struggle  his 
spirit  passed  into  glory.  It  was  not  until  the  marks  of 
approaching  death  were  unmistakeably  impressed  upon  him, 
that  his  wife  and  children  discovered  that  the  worst  of 
their  fears  were  being  realized.  Already  he  had  lost  the 
power  of  utterance.  It  was  only  by  a  motion  of  the  head 
that  he  was  able  to  respond  in  the  affirmative  to  the  ques- 
tion, whether  in  this  hour  of  fearful  solemnity  Christ  was 
with  him  to  sustain  and  comfort  him. 

Throughout  his  brief  sickness  it  had  been  impossible  for 
him  to  say  much  respecting  his  own  condition  of  mind. 
Nor,  indeed,  did  he  probably  suppose  himself  to  be  so  near 
eternity.  Happily,  there  was  no  need  of  additional  testi- 
mony of  his  faith  in  Jesus  and  of  his  assurance  of  a  blessed 
resurrection  ;  for  his  entire  life,  since  his  first  espousal  of 
the  cause  of  his  Saviour,  had  been  an  uninterrupted  course 
of  devotion  to  His  interests,  in  comparison  with  which 
words  uttered  on  the  immediate  verge  of  the  grave  would 
have  been  of  very  little  significance. 

Thus  quietly  did  he  fall  asleep  in  Jesus,  at  a  few  minutes 
21 


32^ 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


before  eight  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  tlie  Sabbath,  March 
15,  1863  ;  after  a  life  of  sixty-four  years,  spent  in  the 
service  of  his  Redeemer  ;  leaving  a  beloved  wife,  who  was 
soon  to  follow  him  to  another  world,  and  four  sons,  the 
survivors  of  his  eight  children.  Three  days  later  his 
remains  were  consigned  to  the  rural  cemetery  at  Yonkers, 
where  those  of  his  eldest  son  were  already  sleeping.  At 
the  funeral  service  held  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church, 
a  crowded  assembly  of  clergymen  and  laymen  were 
gathered  to  testify  by  their  presence  their  high  apprecia- 
tion of  his  services  in  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  their 
deep  sympathy  with  his  bereaved  family.  The  Rev.  Dr. 
Potts,  of  New  York,  delivered  a  funeral  discourse,  and  was 
followed  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Seward,  of  Yonkers,  in  appro- 
priate remarks.  The  Rev.  Drs.  Prime,  Parker,  and  Ver- 
milye  took  part  in  the  services,  which  were  impressive  and 
calculated  to  inculcate  the  importance  of  holy  living  as  the 
only  means  of  attaining  a  calm  and  peaceful  death,  and  a 
happy  life  hereafter. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  the  Rev.  William  B.  Sprague,  D.D., 
of  Albany,  delivered,  at  the  request  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors of  the  American  and  Foreign  Christian  Union,  a 
sermon  before  that  Society,  in  the  Reformed  Dutcii  Church, 
corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Twenty-first  street,  New  York, 
commemorative  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Baird,  D.D.  The  text 
selected  was  John  iv.  84  :  "  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of 
Him  that  sent  me."  In  this  able  di:  course  the  ruling 
passion  of  tlie  Christian  minister  was  first  illustrated  in 
respect  to  the  simplicity  of  its  principle,  the  amplitude  of 
its  range,  and  the  grandeur  of  its  results  ;  and  this,  as  an 
introduction  to  an  account  "  of  that  honored  and  beloved 
minister  of  Christ,  the  tidings  of  whose  recent  death  have 
circulated  in  a  note  of  sadness  all  over  the  Christian 
world."  In  the  next  chapter  of  this  memoir,  we  shall  per- 
mit ourselves  to  insert  a   considerable  extract  from  the 


WIDE-SPREAD  SORROW.  323 

thoroughly  appreciative  analysis  of  his  character  which 
this  sermon  contains. 

The  announcement  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Baird  was  received 
with  deep  sorrow  throughout  the  United  States.  In  many 
a  retired  village,  as  well  as  in  the  crowded  city,  there 
were  those  who  could  sincerely  sympathise  in  the  sad 
bereavement  that  had  befallen  his  stricken  family.  By 
Christians  of  all  denominations  his  removal  was  felt  to  be 
not  a  personal  affliction  merely,  but  a  loss  to  the  entire 
Church.  We  need  not  here  insert  the  resolutions  of 
respect  passed  by  all  the  various  bodies  with  which  he  was 
connected.  But  we  must  be  permitted  to  reproduce  the 
notice  taken  of  his  death  by  the  Council  of  the  British 
Organization  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  May  6,  1863, 
copies  of  which  were  transmitted  by  the  Secretaries  to  his 
family,  and  to  the  American  Branch  of  the  Alliance  : 

"  In  placing  on  the  minutes  a  record  of  the  death  of  the 
Rev.  Robert  Baird,  D.D.,  of  New  York,  the  Committee  are 
called  to  notice  the  removal  of  another  of  the  founders  of 
the  Evangelical  Alliance. 

"  Among  the  first  to  obey  the  summons  which,  in  the  year 
1846,  brought  together  so  many  Christian  brethren  from 
various  countries.  Dr.  Baird  took  a  prominent  part  in  all 
the  deliberations  of  that  series  of  meetings  which  were  then 
held  ;  and  which,  bringing  into  close  association  men  of 
high  intellect,  of  cultivated  minds,  of  varied  learning,  of 
individual  conscientiousness,  and,  above  all,  of  almost  every 
diversity  of  religious  sentiment,  made  it  apparent  to  them- 
selves and  to  all  observers,  that,  notwithstanding  their 
differences,  they  were  one  in  Christ.  More  largely  ac- 
quainted than  many  of  his  brethren  with  the  condition  of 
Protestantism  throughout  the  world,  and  wisely  concerned 
for  its  advancement,  he  entered  cordially  into  plans 
designed  to  promote  the  union  of  Protestants.  To  him 
nothing  appeared  more  likely,  under  tlie  blessing  of  God, 


324 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


to  revive  among  tliem  the  doctrines  and  the  spirit  of  the 
Reformation,  and  to  strengthen  and  defend  their  Cliurches 
from  tlie  aggressions  of  Rome.  It  was  the  happiness  of 
Dr.  Baird  to  be  naturally  endowed  with  a  mild  and  patient 
disposition,  combined  with  a  clear  judgment,  and  a  heart 
that  could  sympathise  with  large  views  of  truth  and  duty  ; 
while  the  knowledge  he  acquired  of  the  affairs  of  life,  and 
the  experience  he  made  in  their  management,  fitted  him  to 
afford  judicious  counsel,  and  to  render  assistance  of  great 
value  in  circumstances  of  difficulty  and  doubt. 

"  The  European  countries  are  few  which  he  had  not  visited 
in  the  service  of  the  Gospel;  in  some  he  had  resided  for 
several  years;  and  he  was  honored  with  the  friendship  of 
men  of  station  and  influence  in  most  of  them,  and  es- 
pecially of  the  late  sovereigns  of  Russia  and  Prussia.  Sev- 
eral times  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  attend  the  meetings 
of  the  Evangelical  Alliance,  and  was  not  only  present  at 
the  three  great  Continental  Conferences  of  Paris,  Berlin  and 
Geneva,  but  contributed  to  them  papers  of  much  value  and 
research  on  the  state  and  prospects  of  both  Protestantism 
and  Popery  in  the  United  States.  By  his  removal  from 
amongst  them  his  fellow  Christians  have  sustained  a  loss 
not  easily  to  be  estimated,  and  probably  not  soon  to  be  sup- 
plied. But  the  Committee  desire  to  record  their  thankful- 
ness to  God  for  all  the  gifts  and  spiritual  endowments  im- 
parted to  their  late  beloved  associate,  as  well  as  for  the  use  he 
was  both  inclined  and  enabled  to  make  of  them  in  promoting 
the  Kina'dom  of  Christ.  And  while  the  Committee  bow 
with  devout  submission  to  the  afflictive  providence  by  which 
his  family  and  the  Church  of  Christ  are  bereaved,  they 
would  look  forward  with  a  rejoicing  hope  to  that  eternal 
and  glorious  reunion  which  aAvaits  all  the  true  servants  of 
the  Lord,  wlien  '  He  shall  come  a  second  time  without  sin 
unto  salvation.'" 


CHAPTEK   XXIX. 

THE  LIFE  OF  KEY.  DR.  BAIRD  AX  EMINENTLY  SUCCESSFUL  ONE. 
SOME  REASONS  FOR  THIS  SUCCESS.  HIS  HIGHLY-FAVORED 
INTELLECTUAL  AND  MORAL  CONSTITUTION.  UNTIRING  IN- 
DUSTRY AND  INDOMITABLE  PERSEVERA^fCE.  DEEP  AND 
ALL-PERVADING  PIETY.  LARGE-HEARTED  CATHOLICISM. 
ESTIMATE  OF  GOODNESS.  IMPRESSION  MADE  BY  HIS  SELF- 
SACRIFICING  SPIRIT  ON  ALL.  LETTERS  OF  INTRODUCTION. 
DR.  BAIRD  IN  THE  FAMILY  CIRCLE.  HIS  CHEERFUL  SPIRIT. 
DEVOTION  TO  HIS  WIFE  AND  CHILDREN.      MRS.  BAIRD. 

TT^HE  life  wliicli  has  passed  in  review  before  us  was  not 
M  only  an  active  but  an  emiiientiy  successful  one.  In  a 
remarkable  degree  it  was  true  of  this  servant  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  that  he  was  enabled  to  finish  the  work  that  God  had 
given  him  to  do.  Passing  over  the  years  of  preparation  at 
the  school,  the  college  and  the  theological  seminary,  in 
which  a  broad  and  deep  foundation  was  laid  for  subsequent 
usefulness,  by  self-discipline,  patient  industry,  and  careful 
acquisition  of  knowledge,  and  the  period  consecrated  chiefly 
to  imparting  instruction  in  the  Princeton  Academy,  where 
the  great  object  of  the  faithful  teacher  was  signally  attained, 
we  have  found  him  engaging,  with  fervent  spirit  and  will- 
ing hands,  in  a  succession  of  benevolent  enterprises,  each 
of  which,  prosecuted  to  its  conclusion,  would  almost  seem 
to  have  been  the  work  of  an  ordinary  lifetime. 
The  unexpected  success  that  crowned  the  novel  effort  to 

C325) 


32'j  LIFE  OF  REV.  BR.  BAIRD. 

supply,  for  tlie  first  time,  the  destitute  in  an  entire  State 
with  the  Holy  Scriptures,  has  been  said  by  competent 
judges  to  have  been  due  in  no  slight  degree  to  the  enthusi- 
asm \A^ith  which  he  threw  himself  into  the  work,  demon- 
strating its  practicability,  urging  the  lukewarm  to  vigor 
and  fidelity,  organizing  the  movement,  and  directing  the 
immediate  laborers  in  the  path  of  efficient  toil.  Startled 
with  others,  at  the  fearful  ignorance  prevailing  in  the  State, 
and  brought  to  light  by  the  recent  exploration,  he  eagerly 
welcomed,  if  he  did  not  originate,  the  idea  of  establishing  a 
thorough  school  system,  as  the  most  appropriate  means  of 
dispelling  that  ignorance.  He  determined  to  test  the  effi- 
ciency of  person-al  exertion  through  the  press;  and,  al- 
though yet  a  young  man  and  comparatively  unknown  to  the 
people  of  the  greater  part  of  the  State,  except  so  far  as  his 
participation  in  the  recent  movement  had  brought  him  into 
notice,  he  published  a  series  of  letters  on  the  subject  of  edu- 
cation, refuting  so  completely  the  objections  brought  against 
the  proposed  action,  and  setting  forth  so-  unanswerably  its 
feasibility,  that  tlie  measure  he  advocated  was  endorsed 
by  the  Legislature  of  New  Jersey,  and  became  the  basis  of 
the  Common  School  System  that  has  for  an  entire  genera- 
tion been  diffusing  its  beneficent  influence  over  that  State. 
In  the  Sunday  School  enterprises  to  which  he  devoted  the 
next  five  years,  the  same  energetic  and  judicious  manage- 
ment enabled  him  to  contribute  in  no  slight  degree  to  the 
SUC2C; :ri  achieved;  and  schools  and  churches  in  distant  parts 
of  the  Union  will  long  bear  testimony  to  the  fervor  with 
which  he  advocated,  and  labored  for,  the  promotion  of  re- 
ligious education  and  sound  piety  throughout  our  land. 
But  it  is  particularly  with  his  successful  efforts  in  behalf  of 
Europe,  that  his  name  is  most  intimately  linked  in  tlie  minds 
of  Christians,  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  The  exertions 
put  forth  by  the  Protestant  world  to  revive  true  religion  on 
the  continent,  up  to  the  time  of  his  first  visit  to  France,  in 


BIS  EMINEXT  SUCCESS. 


327 


1835,  had  been  contracted.  In  France,  the  Reformed  and 
Lutheran  Churches  were  but  slowly  recovering  their  vitality, 
and  possessed  as  yet  but  little  of  the  true  missionary  spirit; 
the  few  home-missionary  stations  that  had  been  instituted 
were  separated  by  wide  intervals,  and  the  seed  sown  had 
borne  as  yet  but  little  fruit.  Belgium  was  thoroughly  Ro- 
man Catholic;  for  although  the  recent  revolution  had  opened 
the  door  to  evanorelical  labor,  little  advantao'e  had  vet  been 
taken  of  this  providential  indication.  Italy  was  hermeti- 
cally closed  to  the  Gospel,  which  was  preached  only  in  lan- 
guages unintelligible  to  the  natives,  at  the  houses  of  a  few 
foreign  ambassadors  in  the  principal  cities.  In  the  Western 
Hemisphere,  nothing  of  any  note  had  been  accomplished 
among  the  Roman  Catholics  of  the  Canadas,  or  of  Mexico 
and  South  America. 

When,  twenty-eight  years  later,  Dr.  Baird  was  called 
away  from  the  Church  militant  to  the  Church  triumphant, 
how  marked  the  contrast !  The  map  of  France  was  every- 
where dotted  with  stations  occupied  by  evangelical  laborers, 
while  numerous  churches  and  even  entire  communities  of 
new  converts,  could  be  pointed  to  as  the  fruits  of  the  faith- 
ful preaching  and  teaching  of  colporteur  and  evangelist. 
Lyons  and  St.  Etienne  with  their  hundreds  of  church-mem- 
bers walking  in  the  truth,  furnished  an  irrefragable  proof 
that  the  conversion  of  Roman  Catholics  was  not  an  impossi- 
bility. In  Belgium  the  Protestant  faith  could  count  its 
thousands  of  adherents,  and  the  native  Evangelical  Society 
its  scores  of  flourishing  stations.  Italy,  free  from  tyranny, 
with  the  exception  of  Rome  and  Venice,  and  a  small  dis- 
trict around  each,  was  receiving  the  truth  in  the  broad  field 
extending  from  Sicily  to  the  Alps,  and  covering  either  slope 
of  the  Apennines.  Every  arrival  brought  to  these  western 
shores  tidings  of  some  new  success  of  the  missionaries  of  the 
faithful  churches  of  the  Waldensean  Valleys,  which,  when  Dr. 
Baird  first  visited  them  a  quarter  of  a  century  before,  had 


3  28  LIFE  OF  HEY.  DR.  BAIRD. 

been  subjected  to  petty  annoyances,  if  not  to  actual  persecu- 
tion, in  their  own  secluded  territory.  Other  laborers  were 
also  pressing  in  to  take  their  share  in  the  toil  and  in  the 
srlorious  reward?  of  the  good  work.  In  the  Roman  Catho- 
lie  lands  of  the  Xew  World,  also,  the  beginnings  of  better 
thingrs  were  to  be  seen.  Everywhere  the  clouds  of  dark- 
ness  and  superstition  were  breaking  up,  and  bigoted  intol- 
erance was  yielding  to  the  progress  of  the  recognition  of  the 
right?  of  conFc:?nce  in  matters  of  religion.  In  this  great 
work  Robert  Baird  had  a  part  to  perform,  whose  measure  will 
probably  never  be  accurately  known  until  the  revelations 
of  the  last  day.  To  promote  it  was  the  great  desire  of  his 
heart,  the  subject  of  his  constant  thoughts  and  prayers,  the 
end  of  his  unremitting  exertions,  during  more  than  a  score 
of  years.  His  time,  his  health,  his  life  even,  were  freely 
offered  upon  this  altar  ;  nor  did  he  feel  much  solicitude 
whether  hi?  name  should  be  connected  with  it,  if  only  its 
success  might  be  secured. 

Other  enterprises,  occupying  a  less  proportion  of  his  time, 
were,  to  human  vision,  even  more  signally  successful.  The 
first  impulse  was  given  by  him  to  temperance  in  Northern 
Europe,  and  the  inmates  of  many  a  Swedish  cottage  bless 
the  name  of  Robert  Baird,  whose  likeness  hangs  upon  their 
walls,  for  having  been  the  instrument  of  introducing  sobriety 
and  industry  witliin  the  hallowed  precinct?  of  home.  And 
in  Russia  his  name  will  long  be  a?sociated  with  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Bible,  by  command  of  the  government,  in  the 
modern  Ru=?.  under  the  supervision  of  the  Holy  S}Tiod  of 
the  Greek  Cliurch  of  that  vast  empire. 

In  his  admirable  commemorative  sermon,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Sprague,  after  giving  an  outline  of  Dr.  Baird's  labors,  asks 
the  question  :  "  IVhrf  r/m-c  him  fhi.<^  r'nivirhihle  sv.^cess, 
whi^h  has  rendered  his  name  like  a  household  word  in  so 
lar<re  a  part  of  the  Cliristian  world?''  And.  after  alluding 
to  the  providential  arrangement  of  the  circumstances  of  his 


ANALYSIS  OF  CHARACTER. 


329 


birth  and  early  years,  lie  answers  the  inquiry  by  some  re- 
marks, which  well  deserve  a  place  here  : 

"  We  may  look,  further,  for  the  secret  of  Dr.  Baird^s 
wonderful  succcsl"  to  his  highly  favored  intellectual  and 
moral  coyiditation.  The  more  brilliant  and  imaginative 
qualities  we  all  know  he  did  not  possess  ;  nor  was  he  in 
the  least  ambitious  of  the  reputation  of  possessing  them. 
Nor  did  he  ever  show  himself  a  philosopher,  in  the  common 
acceptation  of  that  word  ;  for  whatever  his  capabilities  in 
that  direction  may  have  been,  he  was  too  much  absorbed 
in  what  was  purely  practical  to  have  any  time  to  spend  in 
the  regions  of  abstract  thought.  But,  in  the  sphere  in 
which  he  moved,  he  always  showed  himself  possessed  of  a 
clear  discernment  of  the  characters  and  motives  of  men  ; 
of  a  calm  and  solid  judgment,  whose  decisions  rarely  had 
to  be  reversed  ;  and  of  great  aptness  in  selecting  the  ap- 
propriate means  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  ends.  He 
was  remarkable  al.'o  fov  comprehensiveness  of  mind  ;  for 
originating  or  grasping  a  great  and  complicated  plan,  not 
only  in  its  outline  but  in  its  details,  and  showing  the  har- 
mony and  mutual  subserviency  of  its  various  parts.  While 
he  had  a  habit  of  observation  that  overlooked  nothing  that 
came  within  his  range,  he  had  also  a  memory  that  held 
securely  every  valuable  deposit  that  was  made  in  it ;  of 
which,  surely,  those  of  us  are  witnesses,  who  have  seen  him 
stand  up  before  an  audience,  night  after  night,  and  give  off 
the  most  minute  facts  and  dates  by  the  hour,  with  unerring 
accuracy,  without  having  a  scrap  of  paper  before  him.  His 
mind,  in  its  actual  movements,  as  I  have  already  intimated, 
was  in  the  highest  degree  practical — his  thoughts,  his  plans, 
his  efforts,  were  all  with  reference  to  some  definite  end. 
While  he  was  ever  ready  to  render  due  honor  to  minds  ac- 
customed to  profound  research,  I  think  it  was  as  much  a 
matter  of  taste  as  of  duty  with  him  to  let  his  own  mind  find 
its  home  amidst  palpable  common-sense  realities. 


33^ 


LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 


"  Of  Dr.  BaircVs  moral  qualities  I  had  no  knowledge 
until  they  had  been  purified  and  elevated  by  the  influence 
of  Christian  faith  ;  but  I  venture  to  say  tliat  even  Christi- 
anity would  not  have  made  him  all  that  he  was,  if  Nature 
had  not  done  her  part  well  beforehand.  That  moral  char- 
acteristic which  would  perhaps  first  arrest  the  attention  of 
a  stranger,  was  an  ingenuous  simplicity  and  guilelessness 
that  revolted  at  even  the  semblance  of  double  dealing. 
You  saw  it  written  upon  his  very  countenance  that  he  was 
a  man  to  be  trusted  ;  and  you  wanted  no  voucher  for  his 
perfect  integrity.  Then  he  had  a  gentleness  and  loveliness 
of  temper  for  which  the  dove  or  the  lamb  was  not  more 
than  a  match  ;  qualified,  however,  by  a  fidelity  to  his  own 
conscientious  judgments  which  would  not  have  dishonored 
a  Christian  martyr  ;  and  by  a  readiness  and  conscious  abil- 
ity to  maintain  his  own  rights  when  justice  or  honor  de- 
manded it.  He  was  prudent  and  considerate  in  all  his 
movements,  never  taking  a  step  rashly  or  in  the  dark  ; 
never  placing  himself  in  an  attitude  of  doubtful  propriety 
for  the  sake  of  compassing  an  end  ;  never  needlessly  bring- 
ing himself  in  conflict  with  the  prejudices  or  the  interests 
of  his  fellow^men.  Not  a  small  part  of  his  work  consisted 
in  that  most  delicate  of  all  services,  the  personal  solicita- 
tion of  pecuniary  contributions  ;  but  these  applications 
were  always  made  with  such  marked  discretion  and  gentle- 
manly propriety  that  I  believe  it  was  generally  felt  to  be 
a  pleasure  rather  than  a  sacrifice  to  respond  to  them. 
Those  who  watched  him  most  closely,  must,  I  think,  have 
failed  to  detect  in  him  the  semblance  of  envy,  or  jealousy, 
or  any  selfish  passion — on  the  contrary,  he  delighted  in  the 
happiness  of  others,  and  was  the  more  happy  himself  when  he 
could  minister  to  it.  And  the  same  spirit  that  prompted  him 
to  rejoice  witli  them  that  rejoiced,  led  him  also  to  weep  with 
them  that  wept  ;  and  many,  I  doubt  not,  remember  their 
first  meeting  with  him  after  they  had  been  cast  into  the 


INDOMITABLE  PERSEVERANCE.  331 

deep  waters,  as  an  occasion  signalized  by  the  exuberance 
and  tenderness  of  his  sympathy.  Indeed,  I  should  be  at  a 
loss  to  say  which  of  the  moral  virtues  was  not  beautifully 
illustrated  in  his  character. 

"  I  remark,  further — though  it  is  scarcely  more  than  a 
specification  under  the  general  head  of  his  moral  qualities 
— that  among  the  elements  of  his  great  success  was  his  hahit 
of  untiring  industry  and  indomitaljle  perseverance.  No 
man  that  I  have  ever  known  has  been  a  more  rigid  econo- 
mist of  time  than  Dr.  Baird.  He  was  frugal  in  respect  to 
moments  as  well  as  hours  and  days.  You  would  never  find 
him  unemployed,  and  yet  you  would  never  find  him  in  a 
hurry ;  for  he  was  so  orderly  and  systematic  in  his  work 
that  it  was  hardly  possible  there  should  be  any  interference 
between  the  difi'erent  parts  of  it.  He  read  the  daily  papers 
with  intense  interest,  but  he  read  them  chiefly  in  the  rail- 
car,  as  he  was  going  to  and  from  his  work,  when  he  could 
do  nothing  else.  If  he  was  passing  a  night  at  the  house  of  a 
friend,  he  would  remain  with  the  family  to  interest  or  edify 
them  till  it  was  time  for  them  to  retire  ;  and  the  next  morn- 
ing the  fruit  of  his  nightly  labors  would  appear  in  a  dozen 
letters  ready  to  be  s.ent  to  the  post-office.  He  would  keep 
busily  engaged  at  his  office  during  the  day,  and  then  would 
be  seen  taking  an  evening  train  to  go  off  to  some  village 
thirty  or  forty  miles  distant,  where  he  would  deliver  a  lec- 
ture an  hour  and  a  half  in  length,  and  rich  in  valuable  in- 
struction, and  would  glide  back  to  the  city  in  tlie  morning 
in  time  to  meet  the  earliest  demands  made  upon  him.  Even 
sickness  must  take  on  a  more  than  ordinarily  enervating  or 
threatening  form  in  order  to  break  materially  his  daily 
routine  of  engagements ;  and,  in  one  instance,  during  his 
residence  in  Europe,  he  got  up  from  a  long  and  tedious 
confinement,  when  his  strength  had  only  begun  to  return  to 
him,  and  set  oft*  on  a  journey  of  many  hundred  miles,  in  the 
prosecution  of  some  of  his  benevolent  objects.    And  what 


332  LIFE  OF  nEV.  DU.  BAIRD. 

he  undertook  he  pursued  with  a  serene  constancy,  an  un- 
yielding strength  of  purpose,  an  intelligent  and  ever  glow- 
ing zeal,  that  formed  an  almost  certain  pledge  of  ultimate 
success.  The  reason  why  he  was  so  rarely  known  to  waver, 
or  falter,  or  retrace  his  steps,  was  that  his  plans  of  action 
were  always  carefully  and  wiselv  matured,  and  he  moved 
forward  to  the  accomplishment  of  them  with  full  confidence 
that  he  was  in  the  right. 

'•  But  that  which,  above  everything  else,  gives  the  clue 
to  Dr.  Baird's  extraordinary  usefulness,  is  his  daep  and  all- 
jyeivadhig  piety,  manifesting  itself  especially  in  his  simple 
dependence  on  the  Providence  and  Grace  of  God.  The 
two  qualities  which,  as  moral  virtues,  growing  on  the  stock 
of  nature,  were  more  immediately  associated  with  the  pro- 
cess of  his  spiritual  renovation,  became,  subsequently,  when 
matured  and  exalted  into  Christian  graces,  perhaps  the 
brightest  points  in  his  religious  character.  When  I  tell  you 
that  he  received  his  fir-t  eiiduring  religious  impressions, 
soon  after  entering  College,  lohile  teaching  a  class  of  negro 
hoys  in  the  Sunday  Scliod,  you  will  hardly  need  be  toM 
that  the  two  qualiliez  tOAvhich  I  refjr  a.e  humility  and 
benevolence.  These,  as  graces  of  the .  Spirit,  breathed  in 
his  conversation  and  prayers,  and  impressed  themselves 
upon  all  the  actions  of  his  daily  life.  But  that  charac- 
teristic of  his  piety  to  which  I  here  more  particularly  refer, 
was  his  habit  of  acknowledging  God  in  everything — of 
always  taking  counsel  of  his  Providence,  and  seeking  the 
guidance  of  his  Spirit,  in  respect  to  duty  ;  of  habitually 
recognizing  his  goodness  as  the  fountain  of  all  blessing  ; 
of  throwing  himself  back,  in  filial  confidence,  upon  his 
gracious  promises,  in  the  darkest  hour.  He  never  offered 
what  are  sometimes  called  eloquent  prayers  ;  but  he  prayed 
with  so  much  simplicity,  and  humility,  and  reverence,  and 
godly  fervor,  that  no  one  could  resist  the  impression  that 
he  was  speaking  directly  into  the  ear  of  mercy.     Some  of 


ALL-PERVADING  PIETY. 


333 


us  have  lieard  him  conduct  the  devotions  of  our  families  ; 
and  I  am  sure  we  shall  never  forget  how  comprehensively, 
tenderly,  appropriately,  he  led  our  thoughts  and  affections 
upward.  I  learned  from  his  colleague,  the  other  day,  some 
interesting  facts  illustrative  of  his  devotional  habits  in  con- 
nection with  his  daily  work.  Regularly  in  the  morning, 
when  he  came  from  his  house  in  the  country  to  his  office, 
the  first  thing  he  proposed  was  that  they  should  unite  in 
imploring  the  Divine  blessing  ;  and  in  his  supplications  he 
would  include  not  only  the  particular  enterprise  to  which 
they  were  devoted — the  countries  or  portions  of  countries 
that  formed  the  theatre  of  action  for  their  Society,  but  all 
the  various  branches  of  the  Christian  Church  ;  all  the  in- 
stitutions designed  to  help  forward  the  conversion  of  the 
world ;  all  the  nations  who  are  still  sitting  in  the  region 
of  the  shadow  of  death  ;  and  he  was  especially  mindful  of 
our  own  country — his  petitions  in  respect  to  it  often  taking 
their  complexion  from  the  morning  news  which  he  had  read 
on  his  way  to  the  office.  Here,  I  repeat,  was  the  grand 
secret  of  his  power.  He  prayed  with  his  whole  heart — he 
prayed  without  ceasing — he  prayed  for  everything  and 
ever}body — and  the  results  of  liis  labors  witness  that  he 
was  mighty  with  God  and  prevailed. 

"  But,  in  connection  with  his  Christian  character,  and  as 
a  part  of  it,  I  must  not  omit  to  speak  of  his  large-hearted 
catholk-ism ;  for  without  this  his  great  life-work  never  could 
have  been  done.  There  was  that  in  his  original  constitu- 
tion which  rendered  him  eminently  susceptible  of  this 
virtue — ^liis  naturally  generous  and  sympathizing  heart, 
when  brought  under  the  sanctifying  influence  of  Christian 
principle,  could  not  but  open  in  fraternal  recognition  of  all 
whom  he  could  reasonably  regard  as  the  followers  of 
Christ ;  and  this  quality  was  all  the  time  being  developed 
and  matured  by  the  very  nature  of  his  work.  In  his  ec- 
clesiastical connection  he  was  a  Presbyterian — he  was  such 


334  ^^^^'  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

botli  from  education  and  from  conviction  ;  and  lie  never 
foro-ot  bis  allc2:iance  to  the  Presbvterian  Clmrcli  :  but,  in 
tiie  fulfillment  of  the  particular  mission  to  which  Providence 
called  him,  his  Presbyterianism  wa=^,  to  a  great  extent, 
merged  in  the  common  Christianity.  With  the  most  genial 
and  graceful  facility  he  could  pass  from  one  denomination 
to  another,  enlisting  the  sympathies  and  the  co-operation 
of  each  just  as  effectually  as  if  he  had  himself  been  identi- 
fied with  not  only  the  denomination  but  the  particular  con- 
gregation which  he  was  addressing.  He  never  obtruded 
himself  anywhere  ;  never  sacrificed  courtesy  or  delicacy  for 
the  sake  of  making  an  opportunity  to  be  heard  :  never 
urged  his  own  claims  at  the  expense  of  the  slightest  inter- 
ference with  those  which  were  more  im'perative ;  but, 
wherever  he  went,  his  fine  catholic  spirit  seemed  to  go  be- 
fore him,  opening  tiearts,  and  pulpits,  and  purses  in  aid  of 
his  object.  As  his  own  heart  found  a  congenial  element 
wherever  it  found  Christian  disciples,  so  it  generally  met 
with  a  response  worthy  of  its  own  enlightened  liberality." 

The  estimate  which  he  placed  upon  the  importance  of 
personal  religion  was  clearly  visible  not  only  in  his  more 
public  relations,  but  also  in  the  family  circle.  In  his  in- 
tercourse with  his  children,  both  at  home  and  by  letter 
when  distant  from  them,  he  always  made  it  evident  that  his 
greatest  solicitude  was  for  their  usefulness  here  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Redeemer,  and  for  their  welfare  in  another 
world.  At  the  same  time  it  was  with  heartfelt  sympathy 
and  ardent  love  that  he  entered  into  all  that  concerned 
their  temporal  interests. 

It  was  the  piety  evidently  pervading  all  his  actions,  a 
true  and  highest  benevolence,  originating  in  supreme  love 
to  Cod,  that  not  only  communicated  power  to  all  that  he 
undertook  to  accomplish,  but  secured  for  him  tlie  hearty 
respect  and  favor  of  all  with  whom  he  was  thrown  into 
contact.     Undoubtedly,  the  remarkable  judiciousness  that 


LETTERS  OF  INTRODUCTION. 


335 


characterized  liis  entire  course  had  much  to  do  with  the 
kind  reception  he  obtained  from  all  classes,  from  the  mon- 
arch to  the  peasant.  But  it  can  be  confidently  affirmed 
that  no  amount  of  mere  worldly  ability  and  tact  would 
have  conciliated  them,  as  did  the  firm  persuasion  that  all 
his  actions  were  dictated  by  a  lofty  conviction  of  duty,  and 
that  with  no  ambition  to  serve,  but,  on  the  contrary,  with 
too  low  an  estimate  of  his  own  abilities,  he  felt  himself  to 
be  only  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  Providence  for  the 
accomplishment  of  its  wise  ends.  Hence  the  cordiality 
with  which  bearers  of  letters  of  introduction  from  him 
were  received  by  so  many  friends  in  Europe.  A  prominent 
clergyraan,  with  whom  Dr.  Baird  maintained  an  uninter- 
rupted friendship  extending  through  many  years,  has  as- 
pured  the  writer  that  a  most  interesting  circumstance  in 
his  travels  in  Europe  was  the  contrast  between  the  recep- 
tion which  the  letters  given  by  Dr.  Baird,  of  which  he  had 
a  very  large  number,  invariably  secured  him,  and  that 
which  he  experienced  from  persons  to  whom  he  was  other- 
wise recommended.  While  by  the  latter  he  was  often 
greeted  with  a  few  unmeaning  civilities,  Dr.  Baird's  friends 
would  immediately  insist  upon  doing  all  that  was  in  their 
power  to  make  their  American  guest  comfortable  during  his 
stay  in  their  neighborhood.  And  this  kind  remembrance 
of  Dr.  Baird  was  not  confined  to  private  persons  in  the 
ordinary  walks  of  life,  but  extended  to  many  in  the  highest 
ranks  in  society.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Choules,  in  his  narrative 
of  the  "  Cruise  of  the  North  Star,"  p.  146  (Boston,  1854), 
relates  the  following  incident,  which  occurred  while  the 
yacht  was  at  St.  Petersburg  :  "  We  noticed  a  steamer 
alongside  with  an  evidently  distinguished  party  of  visitors  ; 
one  of  the  gentlemen  in  full  dress,  and  wearing  the  broad 
ribbon  of  a  field  marshal.  As  soon  as  the  visitors  came  on 
the  quarter  deck  they  announced  themselves,  and  we  had 
the  honor  to  welcome  the  Grand  Duchess  of  Oldenburg, 


336  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

the  niece  of  the  Czar,  and  her  family  of  seven  children, 
attended  by  their  tutors  and  governesses.  The  gentleman 
in  charge  of  them  was  the  Field-Marshal  Toltog.  As  soon 
as  the  duchess  came  on  board,  she  ashed  me  if  I  knew  her 
'  very  dear  friend,  good  Dr.  Baird,  of  New  York.'  of  whom 
she  spoke  in  terms  of  the  warmest  friendship  and  respect ; 
and  also  of  other  ministers,  whom  he  had,  she  said,  so 
kindly  commended  to  her  acquaintance." 

It  was,  however,  within  the  hallowed  precincts  of  home 
that  the  remarkable  excellences,  which  even  strangers 
could  not  fail  to  recognize,  shone  forth  most  conspicuously. 
If  universal  benevolence  was  a  characteristic  feature  of  his 
natural  constitution,  his  warmest  affections  centered  in  his 
wife  and  children.  Labors  unremitting  invaded  even  the 
hours  spent  under  the  domestic  roof :  and  in  his  library  he 
was  frequently  busy  in  writing  until  far  into  the  night. 
But  nothing  could  be  more  delightful  than  was  his  society 
wiien  he  threw  off  the  cares  of  his  responsible  position. 
No  one  enjoyed  the  amenities  of  life  to  a  greater  degree. 
The  social  meal  he  enlivened  by  the  most  varied  conversa- 
tion, always  entertaining,  whatever  its  topics  might  be.  It 
was  his  habit  ^o  allude  to  all  the  most  interesting  events 
that  the  papers  recounted  ;  and  his  singularly  accurate 
judgment  was  evinced  in  his  independent  estimate  of  their 
importance  or  insignificance.  Whether  speaking  of  Europe 
or  America,  or,  indeed,  of  other  portions  of  the  world,  he 
always  seemed  to  be  conversing  respecting  that  with  which 
he  was  familiar.  Where  he  had  himself  never  been,  he 
had  mastered  the  geographical  features  of  the  earth  by 
reading  ;  and  in  the  vast  territories  over  which  he  had 
traveled,  nothing  of  note  had  escaped  him.  He  was  ready 
at  any  moment  to  elucidate  an  occurrence  by  drawing  upon 
the  stores  of  historical  knowledge  treasured  up  in  a  memory 
rarely  at  fault  for  a  name  or  a  date.  His  familiarity  with 
men  and  manners  rendered  his  conversation  the  more  full 


AFFECTIOX  FOE  HIS  FAMILY. 


337 


of  entertainment    and  improvement   for  those  wlio  had 
enjoyed  less  rich  opportunities. 

Turning  from  the  political  to  the  religious  world,  he 
would  often  narrate  in  the  most  simple  and  unaffected  man- 
ner the  progress  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  in  its  successive 
developments,  especially  in  our  own  days  ;  and,  with  fer- 
vent gratitude  to  heaven,  would  he  dwell  on  the  bright 
tokens  of  the  approach  of  the  day  when  the  knowledge  of 
Christ  and  of  the  atonement  He  has  made  will  reach  every 
rational  creature  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Nothing  was  more  indicative  of  his  unalloyed  disinter- 
estedness than  the  warmth  with  which  he  entered  into  all 
that  concerned  his  children.  Their  amusements,  their  plea- 
sures and  petty  disappointments  in  their  earlier  years,  were 
all  discussed  in  his  presence.  As  they  advanced,  their 
studies  became  his  special  solicitude.  No  expense  that  was 
not  manifestly  beyond  his  means,  was  he  reluctant  to  meet, 
in  order  that  they  might  enjoy  the  best  means  of  improve- 
ment. Whenever  success  crowned  their  exertions,  and 
some  scholastic  distinction  rewarded  their  perseverance,  he 
fully  shared  in  iheir  delight.  He  entered  into  ihelr  plans 
and  pursuits  with  the  most  lively  interest  ;  and,  when  dis- 
appointment seemed  to  dash  long-cherished  projects  to  the 
ground,  he  manifested  and  inculcated  so  brave  a  spirit  that 
the  most  desponding  could  not  but  take  new  courage.  In 
a  word,  his  private,  as  well  as  his  public  life,  was  eminently 
unselfish.  To  his  eagerness  that  his  beloved  family  might 
be  happy  and  useful,  every  personal  consideration,  and  even 
his  desire  of  leisure  for  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  was 
willingly  sacrificed. 

And  in  his  noble  exertions,  both  public  and  domestic,  he 
was  beautifully  seconded  by  his  loving  wife  ;  too  soon,  alas, 
destined  to  follow  him  to  the  better  world.  Born  on  the 
19th  of  February,  1805,  she  had  not  reached  the  age  of 
twenty  when  she  was  united  to  him  in  the  closest  of  earthly 
22 


338  LIFE  OF  REV.  DR.  BAIRD. 

ties.  Deprived  of  her  mother  in  early  childhood,  she  had 
not  forgotten  the  example  of  piety  and  Christian  submission 
imder  g-rave  bodily  affliction  which  slie  had  left  to  her  chil- 
di'en.  Highly  accomplished  and  courted  by  the  gay,  she 
yet  exhibited  her  appreciation  of  true  worth  by  preferring 
a  timid  though  scholarly  youth.  How  much  of  what  Dr. 
Baird  became  in  later  years  was  due  to  her  wise  counsels 
and  prudent  suggestions,  will  never  be  fully  known.  He 
was  wont  himself  to  ascribe  to  them  the  greatest  part  of  his 
success  in  life.  Soon  after  her  marriage,  her  views  of  per- 
sonal religion  becoming  more  clear,  she  united  with  the 
Church  of  Christ ;  and  the  profession  then  made  she  con- 
tinued to  honor  until  her  latest  breath.  With  the  most 
self-sacrificing  disposition  she  entered  into  all  the  benevo- 
lent plans  which  her  husband  formed,  even  when  their  exe- 
cution necessarily  involved  much  inconvenience  to  herself. 
The  addition  of  great  responsibility,  devolved  upon  her 
by  his  repeated  and  protracted  absences,  was  submitted  to 
with  exemplary  patience  ;  and  she  consoled  herself  in  her 
own  privation  of  his  cheering  presence,  by  reflecting  upon 
the  good  which  was  accomplished  by  his  instrumentality. 
Equally  devoted  to  her  children,  her  life  was  one  of  constant 
and  unintermitting  love,  of  which  every  word  and  action 
evinced  the  sincerity.  It  was  fitting  that  such  a  life  should 
end,  as  did  hers,  in  a  calm  and  peace  that  seemed  to  be  a 
foretaste  of  the  eternal  rest  of  the  sanctified  in  heaven.  In 
the  midst  of  the  most  severe  bodily  sufi'ering,  her  mind  and 
heart  were  quiet  and  well  assured.  Looking  out  of  her 
window  upon  the  vegetation,  which  the  balmy  influences  of 
spring  were  bringing  over  the  face  of  nature,  she  exclaimed, 
"Beautiful  morning!  beautiful  world!  but  there  is  a  world 
more  beautiful  than  this !"  Her  faith  was  changing  into 
sight,  and  her  hope  into  knowledge,  as  she  exclaimed,  •'  I 
think,  I  hope — if  I  know  anything — I  hioio  tliat  I  do  love 
my  blessed  Saviour."     "  I  am  a  vile  sinner,  the  vilest  of  sin- 


MRS.  BAIRD,  ^^g 

ners,"  she  said  at  another  time  ;  "  but  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  cleanseth  from  all  sin."  And  a  little  later,  while 
disclaiming  all  merit  for  herself,  she  added,  "  You  may  say 
that  I  died  in  the  faith  and  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality." 
On  the  29th  of  April,  1864,  but  a  little  more  than  a  year 
after  tlie  death  of  her  husband,  did  she  pass  into  the  realm 
of  glory. 

Thus  lived  and  thus  died  these  beloved  followers  of  Jesus. 
May  God  grant  that  the  story  of  their  faith  and  patient 
labor  in  Christ's  cause  may  incite  others  to  walk  in  the 
same  blessed  path  that  conducts  to  the  throne  of  God  and 
to  the  bliss  of  heaven !  And  may  each  reader  find  at  last 
an  abundant  entrance  ministered  unto  him  into  that  ever- 
lasting kingdom  to  whose  open  gate  we  have  traced  thein ! 


APPET^DIX. 


(Extracts  from  a  Letter  of  Dr.  Baird,  Stockholm,  Septem- 
ber 3,  1840,  to  the  Rev.  E.  K  Kirk,  D.  D.,  his  Colleague 
IN  THE  Foreign  Evangelical  Society.) 

"But  now  I  come  to  a  most  important  portion  of  my 
labors.  It  is  five  weeks  exactly  since  I  arrived  here,  and 
tliey  have  been  five  weeks  of  great  labor,  and  of  success 
which  calls  for  great  gratitude  to  God.  I  will  recount  all 
in  order : 

"  The  next  morning  after  my  arrival,  I  called  upon  his 
Excellency  Count  Hartmansdorff,  the  Prime  Minister  of  the 
King,  who  is  President  of  the  National  Temperance  Society 
of  Sweden,  and  upon  Baron  Berzelius,  the  First  Vice-Presi- 
dent. These  gentlemen,  with  others,  begged  me  to  lose  no 
time  in  calling  upon  the  king,  with  the  view  of  asking  his 
majesty  to  order  two  or  three  important  things  in  relation 

to  the  Temperance  cause.     This  I  did  the  same  day 

As  I  have  already  stated,  the  king  appointed  an  hour  for 
receiving  me.  This  was  on  Monday  evening  the  lOtli  of 
August.  When  I  entered  the  audience-chamber,  and  was 
presented  by  the  chamberlain  (our  ambassador  not  being  in 
Stockholm  to  do  it),  the  king  received  me  with  the  greatest 
cordiality,  and  perceiving  that  I  was  still  feeble  from  my 
long  illness,  and  that  I  walked  with  some  difficulty  without 
a  cane,  he  made  me  sit  down  on  a  sofa  and  talked  with  me 

(341) 


342  APPENDIX. 

a  whole  hour,  not  only  on  the  Temperance  cause,  but  also 
on  the  subject  of  religion.  In  regard  to  the  former,  he  at 
once  said  tliat  he  would  do  what  I  requested,  viz. :  1.  That 
he  would  issue  another  circular  addressed  to  the  parishes, 
demanding  of  them  an  account  of  what  they  had  done  in 
relation  to  the  History  of  Temperance  Societies  which  I 
wrote  and  presented  to  him  four  years  ago,  and  which  he 
caused  to  be  translated,  published,  and  a  copy  sent  to  each 
parish  in  the  kingdom  ;  and  2d.  That  he  would  cause  the 
distribution  of  grog  to  the  soldiers  to  cease  and  give  money 
in  its  place,  and  allow  temperance  societies  to  be  formed  in 
the  regiments.  It  was  considered  of  great  importance  to 
gain  these  points,  and  it  was  put  upon  me  to  bring  them 
before  the  attention  of  the  king.  Thanks  be  to  God,  both 
points  have  been  gained. 

"  On  the  subject  of  religion  I  had  a  most  delightful  con- 
versation with  his  majesty.  But  I  cannot  give  the  details 
of  it.  It  must  suffice  at  present  to  say,  that  he  seemed  to 
be  deeply  sensible  of  his  dependence  on  God,  and  of  the 
divine  goodness  towards  him.  When  I  reminded  him  how 
remarkable  had  been  the  divine  favor  in  his  behalf,  in  hav- 
ing raised  him  from  being  a  common  soldier  in  France  to 
the  station  of  a  king,  and  that  he  had  survived  all  his  early 
companions  in  arms,  and  had  also,  as  I  was  confident,  re- 
tained his  early  principles  of  liberty,  he  said  :  '  Oui,  Mon- 
sieur Baird,  oui  c'est  a  Dieu,  a  Dieu  seul  que  je  dois  toute 
chose.  I]  m'a  ete  bien  bon,'  etc.  At  the  opening  of  the 
present  Diet,  he  delivered  an  address  to  that  body  which 
astonished,  by  its  religious  and  paternal  character,  the  infi- 
del editors  of  Paris.  As  to  his  political  principles,  he  told 
me  that  he  was  nothing  hut  a  republican  on  the  throne.  But 
this  is  emphatically  between  us.  It  would  never  do  to 
repeat  it  in  public,  nor  in  any  way  in  which  it  could  get 
into  the  newspapers,  for  it  would  be  turned  against  the 
king  by  his  enemies  in  Sweden.     In  the  conclusion  of  the 


APPENDIX,  343 

interview,  his  majesty  urged  me  much  to  stay  a  few  weeks, 
and  to  attend  a  great  Temperance  meeting  or  convention 
which  was  to  be  held  at  Huddiksvall  on  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia, 
about  two  hundred  miles  north  of  Stockholm.  I  had  already 
concluded  to  do  so,  at  the  urgent  request  of  Mr.  Scott,  Mr. 
Owen,  Baron  Berzelius  and  friends.  Indeed,  it  was  a  mani- 
fest duty  to  do  so,  and  the  committee  will  be  of  the  same 
opinion,  I  am  sure,  when  they  read  the  sequel.  His  majesty 
also  asked  me  to  let  him  know  when  I  returned  from  the 
north,  as  he  wished  to  see  me  again  before  I  left  the  king- 
dom. 

"  After  this  I  went  to  work  to  promote  the  cause  of  God 

in  several  ways  before  I  set  out  for  the  north I 

also  called  on  the  crown  prince,  who  is  at  the  head  of  the 
Temperance  Society  as  Patron.  He  at  once  agreed  to  do 
what  I  requested  him  to  do,  one  item  of  which  was  that 
he  would  set  the  example  of  banishing  what  is  called  the 
'brandy  table' — that  is  the  setting  out  a  small  table  of  re- 
freshments, by  way  of  preparing  the  guests  for  the  dinner, 
and  one  of  the  articles  by  which  the  appetite  may  be  excited 
is  brandy.  You  have  no  conception  of  the  difficulty  and 
importance  of  banishing  this  custom  which  has  stood  so 
much  in  the  way  of  the  Temperance  reform  in  this  country. 
The  prince  not  only  agreed  to  give  up  his  table,  but  said 
that  we  might  publish  it  in  the  meeting  which  we  were 
about  to  hold.  The  consequence  has  been  that  not  less 
than  one  hundred  distinguished  men  in  the  kingdom  have, 
within  the  last  few  weeks,  given  in  their  adhesion  to  a  writ- 
ten pledge  to  do  the  same  thing.  It  is  a  great  point  gained. 
The  brandy-table  in  Sweden — perhaps  the  greatest  obstacle 
to  Temperance  which  fashion  ever  erected  in  any  country — 
must  now  cease.     Thanks  be  to  God  for  this  great  victory ! 

"  During  the  few  days  which  thus  elapsed,  I  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  many  members  of  the  Diet.  And  one  of  the 
most  flattering  and  most  agreeable   circumstances  which 


34+ 


APPENBIX. 


transpired  during  tliat  interval,  and  whicli  occurred  imme- 
diately after  the  great  Temperance  meeting  at  tlie  Exchange, 
was  a  public  dinner  wliich  was  given  to  Mr.  Wieselgren 
and  myself,  at  one  of  the  public  houses  (Hotel  du  Nord)  of 
Stockholm,  and  which  was  attended  by  thirty-two  gentle- 
men, most  of  them  prominent  members  of  the  Diet,  among 
whom  was  Bisliop  Franzen,  the  distinguished  poet  and  pre- 
late of  the  northern  part  of  Sweden,  and  member  of  the 
Diet.  He  presided  on  the  occasion.  These  marks  of  regard 
not  a  little  embarrassed  me,  I  assure  you.  All,  however, 
was  conducted  in  a  truly  Christian  manner,  and  while  quite 
enough  was  said  in  favor  of  my  poor  efforts,  I  trust  that 
every  one  felt  that  all  the  praise  is  due  to  God  alone  for 
any  measure  of  success  whicli  may  have  attended  them. 
The  dinner  was  on  strict  Temperance  principles.  No  wine 
was  used  on  tlie  occasion. 

"  When  I  contrast  what  I  now  see  with  the  state  of  things 
at  the  epoch  of  my  visit  four  years  ago,  I  am  astonished, 
and  am  ready  to  ask.  Can  it  really  be  so?  At  that  time 
everything  was  deadness  itself.  A  few  temperance  societies 
had  existed  on  the  old  moderation  prin.ciple,  but  had  all 
died  very  much  away  ;  and  tlie  general  impression  seemed 
to  be  that  nothinar  could  be  done.  Two  2:ood  and  true 
friends  alone  remained,  tlie  Rev.  George  Scott  and  Mr. 
Owen.  At  that  time,  in  the  providence  of  God,  I  came 
hither,  and  sent  a  copy  of  my  Temperance  History  to  the 
king,  with  a  short  letter.  His  majesty  immediately  sent 
for  me,  and  told  me  tliat  lie  would  have  the  book  at  once 
translated  and  published  at  his  expense,  and  circulated 
throughout  the  kingdom.  He  did  so.  Copies  were  sent  to 
many  distinguished  men,  and  one  to  each  parish.  In  many 
places  it  was  read  from  the  pulpit.  And  a  great  blessing 
followed.  It  was  well  that  the  book  was  published  by  the 
king's  order,  for  otherwise  there  is  little  reason  to  believe 
that  the  censorship  would  have  let  it  pass  ;  so  many  things 


APPENDIX.  345 

does  it  contain  which  condemn  the  very  course  which  this 
Government  had  formerly  pursued  and  was  still  pursuing. 
From  this  time  the  Temperance  cause  took  a  new  start,  and 
has  ever  since  been  making  delightful  progress.  It  now 
enlists  forty  thousand  of  the  best  people  in  Sweden,  includ- 
ing some  of  the  very  highest  ranks. 

"  Having  spent  nearly  two  weeks  very  busily  employed 
in  Stockholm,  I  set  out,  in  company  with  the  Rev.  Messrs. 
Scott  and  Wieselgren,  for  the  great  Temperance  Conven- 
tion at  Huddiksvall.  On  our  way  we  passed  Upsala, 
where  we  had  a  very  important  meeting,  and  also  the 
celebrated  iron-mines  of  Danemora,  Gefle  and  other  towns. 
At  Huddiksvall  there  was  a  series  of  meetings  for  two 
days.  About  three  thousand  people  came  together  from 
the  surrounding  country,  though  it  was  in  the  midst  of  their 
harvest.  I  never  saw  greater  interest.  Much  good,  I  doubt 
not,  was  done.  Nearly  forty  ministers  of  the  Gospel  were 
present.  Many  addresses  were  delivered  on  Temperance 
and  Missions  (foreign),  and  an  opportunity  was  allowed  me 
to  give  a  very  full  account  of  the  state  of  religion  in  our 
country,  and  of  the  various  ways  by  which  Christians  are 
laboring  to  build  up  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  A  strong  de- 
sire was  testified  to  hear  more  on  these  subjects,  and  con- 
firmed me  more  fully  than  ever  of  the  importance  of  my 
writing,  as  soon  as  I  can,  the  work  of  which  I  have  already 
spoken.  Who  can  tell  the  importance  of  directing  aright 
the  awaking  energies  of  this  nation,  which  is  manifestly 
about  to  undergo  a  thorough  political,  and  I  trust  moral 
regeneration.  Now  is  the  time  to  work  in  Sweden  and  in 
Norway  too. 

"  On  our  way  back  we  held  Temperance  meetings  in  some 
eight  or  nine  places.  Some  days  we  held  three  or  four 
meetings,  and  yet  traveled  fifty  miles.  Some  of  these  meet- 
ings were  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  others  at  noon, 
others  at  night.     Almost  all  were  held  in  the  open  air. 


346  APPEXDIX. 

Ob,  it  was  one  of  tlie  most  cheering  sights  in  the  world  to 
see  such  vast  meetings  of  people,  who  seemed  to  devour 
every  word.  Hundreds  of  the  people — I  speak  literally — 
came  to  shake  my  hand,  and  thank  me  for  what  I  had  done, 
or  rather,  what  God  had  done  for  Sweden  through  my 
humble  efforts.  Some  of  the  addresses  which  the  peas- 
ants made  to  me  on  these  occasions,  were  among  the  best 
and  dearest  that  I  ever  listened  to.  Mr.  Scott  translated 
them  to  me,  and  mine  to  them.  Could  the  committee  have 
seen  these  things,  they  would  bless  God  that  tlieir  labors 
have  not  been  in  vain  in  the  Lord.  Such  a  change  as  is 
now  going  on  in  Sweden,  I  certainly  had  no  hope  of  seeing. 
Xor  does  this  change  refer  to  Temperance  only.  In  many 
cases,  as  I  was  assured  by  pastors,  the  reading  of  the  Tem- 
perance History  from  the  pulpit  was  followed  by  a  revival 
of  religion. 

"  Upon  my  return  to  Stockholm,  which  was  on  the  1st  inst., 
I  had  much  to  do.  I  went  at  once  and  saw  the  king,  and 
took  leave  of  him.  It  was  in  the  highest  degree  affecting 
to  my  feelings  to  receive  the  marks  of  kindness  which  I 
did  from  that  distinguished  man.  Not  only  did  he  beg  me 
to  accept  some  memorials  of  his  friendship  ;  but  commended 
me  to  God  with  much  feeling,  and  when  I  had  expressed  a 
short  prayer  for  him  and  his  continued  usefulness,  with 
deep  emotion  he  thanked  me,  took  me  to  his  bosom  in  the 
most  paternal  manner,  and  then  bade  me  adieu."^    The  next 

*  "  Our  last  interview  with  this  excellent  monarch,  says  Mr.  Baird,  in 
the  very  entertaining  sketch  of  Bernadotte,  contributed  to  '  Graham's  Mag- 
azine,' for  November,  1844,  from  which  citations  have  already  been  made, 
"  was  one  which  we  can  never  cease  to  remember.  After  talking  a  long 
time  with  him,  and  informing  him  that  we  were  about  to  leave  Stockholm, 
we  rose  to  take  leave.  He  expressed  much  regret  that  circumstances  did 
not  allow  us  to  stay  longer,  and  spend  the  succeeding  Sabbath  with  him, 
at  his  summer  palace  in  the  Park,  some  two  miles  from  the  city.  As  we 
were  bidding  him  adieu,  he  said  :  '  You  are  going  away,  and  I  shall  never 
have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  again.'     We  said  that  we  had  the  hope  of 


APPEXDIX.  347 

day  I  preached  tlie  opening  sermon  in  Mr.  Scott's  new- 
chapel  at  eleven  o'clock,  addressed  the  House  of  Peasants 
at  three,  and  at  four  addressed  a  second  great  meeting  at 
the  Exchange,  ai;  which  Count  Hartmansdorff  presided,  as- 
sisted by  the  Archbishop  of  Upsala.  That  important  meet- 
ing terminated  my  personal  labors  in  Sweden.  At  the  close 
of  it,  the  archbishop,  in  the  name  of  the  thousands  of  Tem- 
perance friends  in  Sweden,  as  well  as  in  the  name  of  the 
great  assembly  there  present,  thanked  me  for  what  I  had 
done  for  Sweden,  and  commended  me  to  God.  It  was  one 
of  the  most  touching  scenes  of  my  life. " 

returning  to  Sweden  at  no  very  distant  day.  '  But  you  will  not  find  me 
here,'  he  replied  ;  '  I  am  an  old  man,  and  cannot  expect  to  live  a  long  time.' 
We  told  Lim  that  we  hoped  that  it  might  be  the  will  of  God  to  spare  him 
yet  many  years,  and  make  him  a  blessing  to  Sweden ;  and  that  it  was  our 
prayer,  that  when  he  had  finished  his  career  in  this  world,  he  might  enter 
into  life  and  wear,  in  heaven,  an  infinitely  more  gloi-ious  crown  than  he 
had  worn  on  earth,  only  through  the  merits  of  Christ,  who  died  for  us. 
*  May  your  prayers  be  heard  !'  he  exclaimed,  and  then  "parted  with  us  in 
the  most  affectionate  manner.  '  Adieu,  adieu,'  were  the  last  words  which 
we  heard  him  utter,  as  we  passed  into  the  grand  saloon  adjoining  the 
throne-room,  and  were  received  by  the  aids  in  waiting." 


THE    END. 


^    • 


DATE  DUE 


